EP0933103B1 - Wheel suspension for skate boards - Google Patents

Description

State of the art

The invention relates to a wheel suspension according to DE 44 26 337 C, which describes the wheel suspension of a preferably four-wheeled roller board, by shifting weight or by tilting the base towards the inside of the curve Side is steered. In contrast to previously known roller boards (skateboards, Beach surfers or similar), which are usually hung on rigid axles the parent application a so-called twist beam suspension, which in Connection with a suspension opposite the rigid axle suspension for superior driving characteristics both on the road and off-road.

The twist beam axle described in the cited patent is based on the the trailing arm independent wheel suspension known from motor vehicle construction, in which the handlebars are arranged substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction and around a Transverse axis are rotatably mounted on the vehicle body (swivel joint). The handlebars as well as the wheels attached to their ends turn when they compress and rebound on a circular path around this transverse axis and always keep their initial camber angle relative to the build. Therefore, during straight-ahead driving the camber angle of the wheels relative to the road is also constant when cornering However, this property leads to the disadvantage in motor vehicles that the Body and thus the wheels tilt to the outside of the curve and the wheels thereby with increasing lateral acceleration (i.e. with increasingly positive camber) Lose cornering power. For roller boards, their construction or standing space for Steering towards the inside of the bend turns this disadvantage into one Advantage um, because here the wheels - similar to a motorcycle - with the inside tend. As described in detail in the parent registration, this fall behavior ensures compared to the rigid axle suspension, whose camber is relative to the road is always constant, to an increase in cornering forces and thus to improved cornering characteristics (higher cornering speeds) or improved driving safety (larger side power reserves).

A purely trailing arm independent wheel suspension is unsuitable for roller boards, because the handlebars not only their camber but also their Maintain a constant steering angle relative to the body. In order to initiate a Cornering the side inclination of the body or the stand area automatically in a steering angle is implemented is between the opposite Längenstenkem an axis requires a kinematic cross-link, the steering angle generated as soon as the handlebars rebound and rebound in opposite directions (indication for Cornering). In the master registration, the trailing arms are close to yours Swivel joint each provided with a lever arm that is approximately perpendicular to Longitudinal axis of the handlebar is and at its end a connecting element to each opposite handlebar carries. With synchronous (in the same direction) single and Rebound of the trailing arms, as occurs when driving over bumps, the lever arms and the connecting elements on both sides of the vehicle moves the same amount forward or backward, causing the handlebars to be in the straight ahead position remain. On the other hand, when cornering, when the handlebars are asynchronous Coming in and out (in opposite directions), the levers are on one side in the direction of travel and deflected on the other side against the direction of travel, whereby - In the top view of the vehicle - each handlebar through the connecting element the opposite handlebar is rotated by a certain steering angle, which is roughly proportional to the travel difference of the two trailing arms. To the The swivel joints must enable trailing arms such a steering angle be replaced by cardan or ball joints. These joints point in contrast to the swivel joint several degrees of freedom of rotation and thus clear also the trailing arms - in addition to the rotational movement about the transverse axis - relative to the Establish a second degree of freedom of rotation: The rotation about an approximately vertical Axis of rotation (steering axis). This is due to the kinematic cross-connection second degree of freedom, however, canceled again, i.e. the steering angle of the wheels stands in a fixed assignment to the angle of inclination of the body or the footprint.

This assignment is essentially based on the position of the connecting elements certainly. The length of the lever (the vertical distance) is of particular importance here between the connecting elements and the cardanic linkage of the Trailing arm on the body) the length of the cross composite (the horizontal distance of the two opposite lever arms from each other) and the handlebar length (Distance of the wheels from the cardanic linkage): The longer the lever arms in the Relationship to the length of the handlebar on the one hand and the length of the cross-connection on the other are executed, the greater the steering angle. Because the lever arms extend primarily in the vertical direction, this leads especially to small ones and agile roller boards (e.g. skateboards) with which very tight curve radii to be driven, to the disadvantage of a relatively large vertical height, which does not allow a particularly low standing position.

Aim of the invention

The main object of the present invention is therefore for very agile roller boards the wheel suspension while maintaining the essential kinematic properties further improve such that they have a lower height of the roller board and allows an extremely low standing position.

This goal is achieved by the fact that the i.a. vertical lever from DE 44 26 337 C (there e.g. 15, 35, 55), each rigidly attached to their trailing arms or in these are integrated and mostly the overall height of the individual exemplary embodiments determine to be replaced by 2 auxiliary links each. The trailing arms are thereby no longer directly, but via these auxiliary links with the body or the Stand area connected. (In the following, those carrier parts are used as a structure designated, who carry the stand board and on which the auxiliary links are mounted). In the side view, the trailing arms no longer turn around a body-fixed Drehpol - in the master registration the gimbal joint, e.g. 6, 46, 66 - relative to the structure, but each around a virtual pivot, the so-called instantaneous pole, its current position in space from the arrangement the auxiliary link or joint is determined. (The current pole moves on the so-called Polbahn; it changes its position because it compresses and rebounds move the auxiliary links in addition to the trailing links). The advantage of this construction compared to the parent application is that the current pole as virtual pivot point regardless of the real components at any depth or high in the Space can be arranged so that even with limited height allow very tight curve radii to be achieved. In the following exemplary embodiments this effect is explained in more detail.

• 4 Drehgelenke Eine solche Viergelenkkette liegt vor, wenn der Längslenker über 2 Hilfslenker mit dem Aufbau verbunden ist, von denen jeder mittels eines Drehgelenks einerseits am Aufbau und andererseits am Längslenker befestigt ist. Beim Einund Ausfedern drehen sich jeweils die Hilfslenker um den Aufbau, der Längslenker dagegen um den Momentanpol, der sich als Schnittpunkt der Hilfslenker-Wirkungslinien ergibt. Siehe Ausführungsbeispiele 1 und 2 (Fig. 1-7).
• 3 Drehgelenke und 1 Schubgelenk Wird ein aufbauseitiges Drehgelenk durch eine Geradführung (Translation statt Rotation) ersetzt, liegt ein sog. Geradschubkurbeltrieb (z.B. Pleuel und Kolben) vor; wird dagegen ein längslenkerseitiges Drehgelenk durch ein Schubgelenk ersetzt, resultiert hieraus eine sog. Kurbelschleife. In beiden Fällen ergibt sich der Momentanpol als Schnittpunkt der Wirkungslinie des verbliebenen Hilfslenkers mit der Senkrechten auf die Geradführung. Siehe Ausführungsbeispiele 3 und 4 (Fig. 8).
• 2 Drehgelenke und 2 Schubgelenke Je nachdem, welches der übrigen Drehgelenke durch ein Schubgelenk ersetzt wird, erhält man 4 weitere Gelenkkettenvarianten (u.a. doppelte Kurbelschleife), auf die an dieser Stelle nicht näher eingegangen wird.

In the plane gear gauge, such an arrangement of the joints is referred to as a four-link chain, since the connection of the trailing arms to the body is made via 4 joints, which can either be rotary or thrust joints or a combination of both:

• 4 swivel joints Such a four-link chain is present when the trailing arm is connected to the body via 2 auxiliary links, each of which is attached to the body and to the trailing arm on the one hand by means of a swivel joint. When deflecting and rebounding, the auxiliary link rotates around the body, the trailing link on the other hand around the instantaneous pole, which results as the intersection of the auxiliary link action lines. See embodiments 1 and 2 (Fig. 1-7).
• 3 swivel joints and 1 thrust joint If a body-side swivel joint is replaced by a straight guide (translation instead of rotation), a so-called straight thrust crank drive (eg connecting rod and piston) is available; if, on the other hand, a trailing arm-side swivel joint is replaced by a thrust joint, this results in a so-called crank loop. In both cases, the instantaneous pole is the intersection of the line of action of the remaining auxiliary link with the perpendicular to the straight line. See embodiments 3 and 4 (Fig. 8).
• 2 swivel joints and 2 thrust joints Depending on which of the other swivel joints is replaced by a thrust joint, you get 4 further joint chain variants (including a double crank loop), which are not discussed in more detail here.

This brief overview already shows different execution options of the Four-link chain, from which numerous skilful kinematic modifications Variations can be created for the most diverse purposes can. The four-link chain therefore allows much greater geometric flexibility than the wheel suspension of the parent registration, brings because of the higher However, the number of joints initially has the disadvantage of a higher component expenditure with himself. As some of the examples below show however, this effort by double use of joints or by Omission of functions (e.g. waiving the suspension where it is not required will or would interfere) significantly.

For a better understanding here the four-link chain in its flat embodiment explains; for use as wheel suspension for steerable vehicles can only use spatial four-link chains for the following reason to enable steering movements, the trailing arms must be in the Can turn top view left and right out of the plane during the Structure in the original level remains. As in the parent registration the trailing arms require an additional degree of freedom for the steering. There pure swivel joints (with only one degree of freedom of rotation) and pure thrust joints (with only one degree of translation freedom) would not have to allow this in each chain at least 2, maximum 3 of the swivel joints by universal joints (2 degrees of freedom of rotation) or ball joints (3 degrees of freedom of rotation) replaced become; the same applies to the sliding joints. At least one of the joints must be as The hinge remains, otherwise the wheel suspension has a degree of freedom relative to the body would have too much and e.g. when exposed to lateral forces could fold away. The "gimbal" suspension of the trailing arms, the according to the main claim a characteristic feature of the present invention as is the parent application, means that the trailing arm in essentially around an approximately horizontal axis (for compression and rebound) and about an approximately vertical axis (for steering), but not about its own (approximately turn the longitudinal axis).

The redundant degree of freedom can, however, be an alternative to such swivel joints can also be lifted by a third ball-jointed auxiliary link, which supports the wheel suspension laterally and the lateral forces on the body transmits (e.g. Fig. 14-16). This increases the design effort, but not but necessarily also the costs, since ball joints generally cheaper than are pure swivel or sliding joints. They are manufactured in large numbers and are available in various designs as standard parts, e.g. as a ball joint or angled joint, where a ball is in a ball socket slides (usually permanently lubricated and sealed with cuffs), or as elastomer joints, where the parts to be connected are stored in an elastomeric material are and move relative to each other by deformation of this material can. In the following examples, i.a. ball joints used, but other gimbal joints could always be used instead, without affecting the function. When using elastomer joints However, it should be noted that if the material is too soft, the guide of the Wheels is no longer exact and if the material of the movement is too hard a high one Resistance is opposed.

In the following, such four-link chains are made from the flat four-link chain are derived and in which the handlebars at least when driving straight ahead move transverse horizontal axes of rotation, referred to as "quasi-flat" four-link chains, to differentiate them from the "real" spatial four-link chains, at which the auxiliary handlebars partly rotate around vertical or oblique axes.

• Die beiden Räder einer Achse sind nicht an einem gemeinsamen Achskörper (z.B. Starrachse), sondern einzeln an separaten Radträgem, den Längslenkem, aufgehängt.
• Die Längslenker einer Achse sind durch einen kinematischen Querverbund derart miteinander gekoppelt, daß sie bzw. die Räder bei synchronen Ein- und Ausfederbewegungen ihren Lenk- und Sturzwinkel relativ zum Aufbau konstant beibehalten, bei asynchronen Ein- und Ausfederbewegungen dagegen einen Lenkwinkel zur kurveninneren Seite einschlagen, ohne dabei ihren Sturzwinkel relativ zum Aufbau zu verändern.

Neben diesen allgemeinen Merkmalen der Verbundlenker-Radaufhängungen für Rollbretter, die auch für die Radaufhängung der DE 44 26 337 C gelten, kommen noch die spezifischen Merkmale (auf Basis der Viergelenkkette) hinzu:

• Die Längslenker sind nicht direkt, sondern jeweils über mindestens 2 Hilfslenker gelenkig mit dem Aufbau verbunden und drehen sich daher nicht um einen festen, sondern um einen virtuellen Drehpol (Momentanpol) relativ zum Aufbau.
• Aus dieser Konstellation resultiert ein zweites Merkmal: Da die Hilfslenker über je 2 Gelenke verfügen, ist jeder Längslenker über mindestens 4 Gelenke mit dem Aufbau verbunden (daher auch die Bezeichnung "Viergelenkkette"), wobei sich 2 dieser Gelenke am Längslenker und die übrigen beiden am Aufbau bzw. Standbrett befinden.

Wie erwähnt, können diese Gelenke beliebige Funktionen erfüllen (Dreh-, Schuboder Kugelgelenke) und auch beliebig gestaltet sein (Kugel- oder Gleitlager, Elastomere-Gelenke, Seilanbindungen o.ä.). Ebenso können einige Gelenke oder Lenker Doppelfunktionen aus-üben, so daß z.B. eine Fahrzeugachse auch weniger als 8 Gelenke oder 4 Hilfslenker aufweisen kann.The most important kinematic features of the invention compared to the prior art can be summarized as follows:

• The two wheels of an axle are not suspended on a common axle body (eg rigid axle), but individually on separate wheel supports, the trailing arms.
• The trailing arms of an axle are coupled to one another by a kinematic cross-connection in such a way that they or the wheels keep their steering and camber angles constant relative to the body during synchronized spring-in and rebound movements, while a steering angle on the inside of the curve turns in asynchronous spring-in and spring-out movements. without changing their camber angle relative to the body.

In addition to these general features of the torsion beam suspension for roller boards, which also apply to the wheel suspension of DE 44 26 337 C, there are also the specific features (based on the four-link chain):

• The trailing arms are not directly connected to the body, but are each articulated via at least two auxiliary links and therefore do not rotate about a fixed, but a virtual pivot (instantaneous pole) relative to the body.
• This constellation results in a second characteristic: Since the auxiliary links each have 2 joints, each trailing link is connected to the body via at least 4 joints (hence the name "four-link chain"), with 2 of these joints on the trailing link and the other two on Structure or stand board.

As mentioned, these joints can perform any functions (rotary, thrust or ball joints) and can also be designed in any way (ball or slide bearings, elastomer joints, rope connections, etc.). Likewise, some joints or handlebars can perform dual functions, so that, for example, a vehicle axle can also have fewer than 8 joints or 4 auxiliary links.

The versatile kinematic and constructive properties of the four-link chain can not only be used to optimize installation space, they are also used to optimize driving behavior. By clever arrangement the joints can be achieved, for example, that the structure at Initiation of cornering raises and lowers again at the exit of the curve, see above that the standboard is returned to it solely by the weight of the driver horizontal straight position can be reset (so-called weight reset; In the case of roller boards, the steering reset is usually carried out by special Spring elements). 9 and 10, this becomes extreme advantageous effect explained in more detail.

An additional aim of the invention is the transfer of the outstanding driving characteristics the wheel suspension according to the invention also on skid vehicles, such as they are used e.g. as ice surfers. In additional application 196 02 447.1-15 DE Patent 44 26 337 proposes the kinematic advantages of the torsion beam axles can also be used with such skid vehicles. As part of the In addition, the present invention is also intended for the optional use of skids for torsion beam axles based on four-link chains.

Description of the examples

Fig. 1

Schematische Darstellung eines Rollbretts mit einer Radaufhängung auf Basis einer quasi-ebenen Viergelenkkette in der Seitenansicht.

Fig. 2:

Draufsicht von Fig.1.

Fig. 3:

Seitenansicht einer bevorzugten und konstruktiv detailliert ausgeführten Radaufhängung ebenfalls auf Basis einer quasi-ebenen Viergelenkkette bei Geradeausfahrt.

Fig. 4:

Draufsicht von Fig 3.

Fig. 5:

Seitenansicht der Radaufhängung aus Fig. 3 bei Kurvenfahrt.

Fig. 6:

Draufsicht von Fig 5.

Fig. 7:

Vorderansicht von Fig 5 und 6.

Fig. 8:

Schematische Darstellung eines Rollbretts mit zwei Varianten von Radaufhängungen auf Basis von quasi-ebenen Viergelenkketten mit jeweils einem Schubgelenk; in der Seitenansicht.

Fig. 9:

Draufsicht auf das Rollbrett von Fig. 8, das hier allerdings an Vorder- und Hinterachse gegenüber Fig. 8 funktionsähnliche, jedoch kinematisch unterschiedliche Radaufhängungen jeweils auf Basis einer räumlichen Viergelenkkette aufweist.

Fig. 10:

Seitenansicht einer bevorzugten und konstruktiv detailliert ausgeführten Radaufhängung auf Basis einer räumlichenViergelenkkette bei Kurvenfahrt.

Fig. 11:

Draufsicht von Fig 10.

Fig. 12:

Seitenansicht einer weiteren Variante einer Radaufhängung auf Basis einer räumlichenViergelenkkette bei Geradeausfahrt.

Fig. 13:

Draufsicht von Fig 12.

Fig. 14:

Seitenansicht eines Rollbretts mit einer Rad- oder Kufenaufhängung auf Basis einer quasi-ebenen Viergelenkkette mit jeweils 3 Hilfslenkern.

Fig. 15:

Draufsicht von Fig 14.

Fig. 16:

Ansicht von hinten der Vorderachs- Radaufhängung aus Fig. 14/15 in vergrößertern Maßstab.

Fig. 17:

Seitenansicht eines Fahrzeugs mit einer beliebigen erfindungsgemäßen Verbundlenker-Radaufhängung an der Vorderachse und einer einspurigen Hinterachse.

Fig. 18:

Draufsicht von Fig 17.

Fig. 19:

Draufsicht eines Fahrzeugs mit einer beliebigen erfindungsgemäßen Verbundlenker-Radaufhängung an der Hinterachse und einer einspurigen Vorderachse.

Fig. 20:

Draufsicht eines Fahrzeugs mit zwei beliebigen erfindungsgemäßen Verbundlenker-Radaufhängungenan in Kombination mit einer zweigeteilten Standfläche.

Show it:

Fig. 1

Schematic representation of a roller board with a wheel suspension based on a quasi-flat four-link chain in a side view.

Fig. 2:

Top view of Fig.1.

Fig. 3:

Side view of a preferred and constructively detailed wheel suspension also based on a quasi-flat four-link chain when driving straight ahead.

Fig. 4:

Top view of Fig. 3rd

Fig. 5:

Side view of the wheel suspension from Fig. 3 when cornering.

Fig. 6:

Top view of FIG. 5.

Fig. 7:

5 and 6.

Fig. 8:

Schematic representation of a roller board with two variants of wheel suspensions based on quasi-flat four-link chains, each with a sliding joint; in the side view.

Fig. 9:

Top view of the roller board of FIG. 8, which here has functionally similar but kinematically different wheel suspensions on the front and rear axles compared to FIG. 8, each based on a spatial four-link chain.

Fig. 10:

Side view of a preferred and constructively detailed suspension based on a spatial four-link chain when cornering.

Fig. 11:

Top view of Fig. 10

Fig. 12:

Side view of another variant of a wheel suspension based on a spatial four-link chain when driving straight ahead.

Fig. 13:

Top view of Fig. 12

Fig. 14:

Side view of a roller board with a wheel or skid suspension on the basis of a quasi-flat four-link chain, each with 3 auxiliary links.

Fig. 15:

Top view of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16:

Rear view of the front axle wheel suspension from Fig. 14/15 on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 17:

Side view of a vehicle with any torsion beam suspension according to the invention on the front axle and a single-track rear axle.

Fig. 18:

Top view of Fig. 17.

Fig. 19:

Top view of a vehicle with any torsion beam suspension according to the invention on the rear axle and a single-track front axle.

Fig. 20:

Top view of a vehicle with any two torsion beam suspension according to the invention in combination with a two-part footprint.

In the first exemplary embodiment ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ), the initial shape of the four-bar chain (with four swivel or cardan or ball joints) is realized. Here, the trailing arms 3 , as can be seen from the side view (FIG. 1), are each connected to the structure 4 via two auxiliary links 1, 2 , which is screwed onto the stand board 11 and in this example consists of simple angle profiles. On the front axle, left in Fig. 1, the handlebars are shown in normal position (straight ahead); on the rear axle in a position that corresponds to extreme cornering: the inside left trailing arm 3 "' is drawn in the fully sprung position and the outside right trailing link 3"" in the fully sprung position. Because the distance between the trailing arm-side swivel joints 5 , 6 is greater than the distance between the body-side swivel joints 7, 8 , the lines of action of the two auxiliary links 1, 2 enclose an angle a and intersect at the instantaneous pole M about which the trailing link 3 is currently rotating Lines of action on the inside of the (spring-loaded) pole Me and on the outside of the (spring-loaded) pole Ma. During the compression and rebound process, the momentary poles move on pole path P.

As mentioned above, a part of the swivel joints must be designed as a cardan or ball joint in order to allow the longitudinal control arm to be steered by the angle λ in plan view (FIG. 2). In the present example, these are the joints 5, 7, 8, while the joint 6 remains as a swivel joint in order to be able to support the torsional forces introduced by the wheel 10 and transmitted via the trailing arm 3 . (Without such a swivel in the four-link chain, the lateral support would be missing). The constructive design of the handlebars and joints as well as their mode of action are not dealt with here; they are largely identical to the components from the second exemplary embodiment (FIGS. 3-8) and are dealt with in more detail there.

The kinematic cross-connection 9 is designed here as a swivel joint: on the trailing arms 3 , a shaft 15 'is pressed in on the left and a pipe 15 "is pressed in on the right, which surround one another concentrically and are supported one inside the other by the sliding bushes 16' and 16" . In addition to the rotary movement, these also permit a displacement movement in the axial direction, which is necessary in order to prevent the trailing arms from being squeezed when cornering. When driving straight ahead or in all driving conditions in which the two trailing arms of an axle spring in or out synchronously, the trailing arms do not rotate relative to each other and the connecting elements always remain transverse to the direction of travel, see front axle. With asynchronous spring-in and spring-out movements - as shown on the rear axle - the trailing arms perform a relative movement to each other and at the same time rotate around their respective instantaneous poles relative to the body. Since the left rear trailing arm 3 '''is moved forwards and the right 3''''is moved backwards as a result of this rotary movement, both trailing arms twist in the plan view (since they are rigidly coupled to one another via the transverse link 9 ) by the steering angle λ and steer the roller board into the curve.

The steering angle λ is greater, the further the connecting element 9 is in the vertical direction from the respective instantaneous pole by which the associated trailing arm rotates (and the smaller, the longer the trailing arm and the longer the transverse connection). The vertical distance to the instantaneous pole can be varied as desired via the angle α of the two auxiliary links to one another, in the present exemplary embodiment it is far below the standing board (even below the roadway), although all the links are arranged above. This illustrates the kinematic advantage over the parent registration.

If, as shown in Fig. 1 on the left in the starting position, the cross-connection is in the vertical direction exactly above the instantaneous pole, the connecting elements 9 of two adjacent trailing arms always remain at the same height during compression and rebound and the cross-connection remains - even with Steering - in a horizontal position. This means that the wheels maintain their camber angle relative to the body or the footprint. However, if the transverse link were to be positioned further forward or back with the position of the instantaneous pole unchanged (e.g. on the rear axle towards the rear of the wheels), it will make the opposite changes in height of the trailing arms during asynchronous compression and rebounding (the closer, the more pronounced it will be, the closer they are the cross-connection to the wheels moves) and thus migrates out of its horizontal position; ie in the front or rear view, the trailing arms and thus also the wheels are turned out of their transverse-horizontal position and change their camber angle relative to the body. The further the cross-connection is moved in the direction of the wheels, the more the "cornering effect" is lost (the wheels no longer tilt into the corner as much as the standing board). In extreme cases, when the cross-connection is exactly between the wheels, the camber remains constant relative to the road as with the rigid axle. If, on the other hand, the cross-connection is moved in the other direction, i.e. away from the wheels, the opposite effect results, ie the wheels tilt even further towards the inside of the curve like the standing board. Similar kinematic variation options can be used if the auxiliary links, as in the second exemplary embodiment, are selected to be of different lengths.

In addition to the degree of steering freedom, the wheel suspension also has a second degree of freedom that is used for the suspension. The main function of the suspension is to allow a relative movement between the body and the road (which in turn is made possible by the relative movements of the handlebars relative to the body) to cushion the bumps in the road surface and then to allow the body to move again as quickly as possible (i.e. without annoying reverberation, which is good damping assumes) to return to its normal position. In addition to this task, which is referred to as so-called lifting suspension, it can also be used to position the vehicle straight ahead or to set it up in the horizontal starting position. (Rolling is the side slope of the body when cornering in motor vehicle construction). The steering reset can either take place via separate suspension elements or - as is the case in Fig. 1 - with the lifting suspension. Here four tension springs 12 are selected as spring elements, which are suspended at the top of the trailing arms and at the bottom of the stand board in the spring element holders 13, 14 and on which the stand board is "hanging". The springs are deflected with every spring-in and spring-out movement of their trailing arm and are therefore effective for both steering and suspension movements (roll and lift suspension).

The positioning of the handlebars above the standing board allows an extremely deep, surfboard-like standing position and is therefore particularly suitable for longer roller boards, eg beach surfers, where the handlebars can be arranged in front of and behind the actual standing area. Accordingly, the roller board from FIG. 1 is also equipped with foot straps 17 and a so-called mast foot 18 , with which a surf sail rig 20 (of which only the lower part of the mast is shown in broken lines in FIG. 1) can be attached to the stand board. So that the rig can be inclined to control and meter the wind power on all sides, it is connected to the mast base via a universal joint 19 (usually a rubber notch bearing). Since these are commercially available standard parts, they are not described in detail here.

Note on the reference symbols: The reference symbols without indices, e.g. 3 for the Trailing arms, generally apply to all 4 trailing arms of a roller board. If a special one Trailing arm to be described, it receives an index according to the following Scheme: 3 'for front left, 3 "for front right, 3'" for rear left and 3 "" for rear right. To facilitate the search in the pictures also get parts with the same Designation similar reference symbols in the various examples; e.g. For Trailing arm 3, 23, 43, 63, 83 etc. In some pictures, e.g. on the rear axle of Fig. 1, in addition to these upper indices "e", "a" attached below or "NL" used. They stand for "spring loaded", "spring loaded" or "normal position".

In the second embodiment ( Fig. 3-7 ), a similar (quasi-flat) four-link chain is shown in a detailed version, but in contrast to Fig. 1, the spring forces are not via two tension springs per axis, but rather via a central compression spring (32 ) are supported on the body or standing board, and the handlebars are not arranged above, but below the standing board. Conversely to Fig. 1, the "first" auxiliary arm 21 (facing the wheel) is always under pressure and the "second" auxiliary arm 22 is always under tension. In addition, in order to achieve a low position of the instantaneous pole M here, too, the distance between the trailing arm-side joints 25, 26 is smaller than the distance between the body-side joints 27, 28 . As in Fig. 1 , the "second" trailing arm-side joint ( 26 ) is designed as a swivel joint, while commercially available ball joints were chosen for the remaining 3 joints. Here, the two joints 25, 27 of the first auxiliary link 21 are pure ball joints (the steel ball heads rotate in plastic ball sockets which are sealed by elastic sleeves and are mounted in steel housings); the gimbal joint 28 of the second auxiliary link, on the other hand, is shown as an angle joint (swivel joint with a spherical sliding surface; does not allow angular deflections as large as pure ball joints). The angle joint 28 is screwed into the auxiliary link 22 and secured by the lock screw 39

In contrast to Figure 1, the rotary joint 26 is to reduce the component count, a structural unit with the storage of the connecting member 29, via the kinematic occurs the cross-laminated to the opposite trailing arms. The connecting element 29 is designed here as a separate tube which concentrically surrounds the tube pieces 35 ', 35 " pressed into the cast aluminum longitudinal link 23', 23" and is supported on the latter by the sliding bushes 36 . (For example, commercially available Teflon bearings that do not require any lubricant can be used as sliding bushes). The tube pieces 35 ', 35 "in turn comprise the bushings 38', 38" of the swivel joints 26 via sliding bushes ( 37 ). The shafts 38 are pressed into the "second" auxiliary link 22 and connected to the angle joint 28 via them. This "double" swivel joint thus allows both a rotation of the trailing arms 23 relative to their auxiliary links 21, 22 and a rotation of the trailing arms relative to one another or to the connecting element 29. The bushing pairs 36, 37 are each mounted at a large distance from one another in order to achieve the greatest possible to obtain a broad support base for the forces and moments that are introduced by the wheels into the trailing arms. The moments are supported via the connecting element 29, the auxiliary links 22 ', 22 " and the angle joints 28', 28" on the opposite side of the vehicle, and the forces are also introduced into the spring element 32 via the connecting element 29 and from there via the suspension holder 34 supported on the stand board 31 .

• Bei Geradeausfahrt, in der das Verbindungselement beim Ein- und Ausfedern stets quer zur Fahrtrichtung verbleibt (wie in Fig. 4 dargestellt), nimmt die Anlagefläche an das Verbindungsrohr 29 mit zunehmender Einfederung progressiv zu (d.h. im ausgefederten Zustand liegt das Federelement nur mit seiner Spitze am Rohr an, im eingefederten Zustand dagegen in voller Breite), so daß sich eine progressive Hubfederrate ergibt: Sie ist komfortabel um die Normallage und wird zunehmend härter beim Einfedern, so daß ein Durchschlagen beim Überfahren steiler Hindernisse vermieden wird. (Dieser voll eingefederte Fahrzustand bei Geradeausfahrt ist in Fig. 3 strichpunktiert eingezeichnet. Hierbei reduziert sich die Bodenfreiheit um den Betrag zwischen der Bodenfreiheitslinie B bei Normallage und Be im eingefederten Zustand).
• Bei der in den Figuren 5-7 dargestellten Kurvenfahrt, in der das Verbindungselement um den Lenkwinkel λ schräg zur Fahrtrichtung ausgelenkt ist, nimmt die Anlagefläche mit zunehmendem Lenkwinkel ebenfalls progressiv zu, so daß sich auch eine progressive Wankfederrate ergibt; d.h. leichtgängiges Lenken um die Mittellage herum und gute Wankabstützung in den Endlagen. Letztere sorgt für ein gut kontrollierbares Lenkverhalten, indem sie das bei vielen Rollbrettern zu beobachtende "Abkippen" der Standfläche nach zu heftiger Gewichtsverlagerung verhindert.

In addition to its kinematic function (as the carrier of the kinematic cross-connection), the connecting element 29 also fulfills the function of a force transmission element for the vehicle suspension. The spring transmission ratio i is determined by the ratio of the virtual lever length (distance between connecting element 29 and virtual pivot pole M) to the handlebar length (distance between wheel 30 and pivot pole M). As the spring member 32 is used in Fig. 3, 4, a block of foamed polyurethane (PUR), which is used in the automobile industry among other things, as a working substance for Zusatzfedem is very durable and has moreover a very good damping properties. The element 32 is shaped in such a way that, in addition to the lifting suspension (damping of road impacts and returning the standing board to its normal position after vibrations), it also takes over the roll suspension or the steering return (returning the handlebars to the straight-ahead position with simultaneous return of the standing board to the horizontal starting position). The ratio of the lifting spring rate to the rolling spring rate can be influenced both by the width / length ratio of the spring element and by the contour of the contact surface on the connecting element 29 . The starting contour selected in this example and drawn in dashed lines in FIG. 6 and tapering in the middle has the following advantages:

• When driving straight ahead, in which the connecting element always remains transverse to the direction of travel when deflected and rebounded (as shown in FIG. 4), the contact surface on the connecting tube 29 increases progressively with increasing deflection (i.e. in the spring-out state, the spring element lies only with its tip on the tube, in the spring-loaded state, however, over the full width), so that there is a progressive lifting spring rate: it is comfortable around the normal position and becomes increasingly harder when deflecting, so that strikethrough when driving over steep obstacles is avoided. (This fully sprung driving state when driving straight ahead is shown in dash-dot lines in FIG. 3. The ground clearance is reduced by the amount between the ground freedom line B in the normal position and Be in the sprung state).
• When cornering shown in Figures 5-7, in which the connecting element is deflected by the steering angle λ obliquely to the direction of travel, the contact surface also increases progressively with increasing steering angle, so that there is also a progressive roll spring rate; That means smooth steering around the middle position and good roll support in the end positions. The latter ensures a well controllable steering behavior by preventing the "tipping" of the standing surface that can be observed with many roller boards after an excessive shift in weight.

In addition to the geometric parameters, the material properties of the spring element can be changed (e.g. via the density of the Foam), there are numerous variation options for fine-tuning suspension and damping behavior.

Subsequent changes to the suspension properties - e.g. adaptation to different driver weights or changes in ground clearance - can also be carried out simply by moving the spring element holder 34 on the underside of the standing board: either by moving the screwing points in the longitudinal direction or by means of a stepless adjustment mechanism as shown in Fig. 6 and 7 can be seen: The holder 34 has on its contact surface to the stand board on both sides an extension which engages in a recess in the body frame 24 and is clamped in when the body is screwed onto the underside of the stand board. To adjust the holder, it is sufficient to loosen the fastening screws and tighten them again after the adjustment. In order not to wear the screw connection due to frequent adjustment, the holder - as shown in view X - could be fixed by a separate fastening rail 40 which is screwed onto the structure 24 .

Similar to the first example (FIGS. 1 and 2), the connecting element 29 is in the normal position approximately vertically above the virtual rotary pole M. However, since in FIG. 4 the connecting element forms a structural unit with the rotary bearing 26 , the associated auxiliary link must be used for this 22 in the normal position are approximately vertical and the other auxiliary link 21 is tilted accordingly in order to obtain a position of the instantaneous pole M exactly below the cross connection. The different lengths of the auxiliary links 21 and 22 have the effect that the rotary joint 26 during rebound travels a greater distance than during compression, so that it is relative to the standing surface 31 outside of the curve is in a higher position (26 ") as the inside of the curve (26 ') and thus the connecting element 29 is slightly inclined in the front view (Fig. 7.) This inclination by the angle b leads to the camber angle γ of the wheels 30 increasing relative to the roadway by this angle β, that is to say the wheels are somewhat are more inclined towards the inside of the curve than the footprint 31. The "cornering effect" is thus increased. Depending on the requirements of the driving behavior, this effect can be compensated for or further enhanced by the kinematic cross-connection in the normal position not exactly vertically above the Is arranged momentary pole, but something before or after it.

It should also be noted that the connecting element 29 has some axial play between the trailing arms 23 ' and 23 " in order to enable axial displacement of the trailing arms (in the transverse direction of the vehicle) to one another. The trailing arms are transverse in their transverse joints via their swivel joints 26' and 26 " and auxiliary link 22 ' or 22" are fixed to the body and therefore not only perform a rotational movement relative to each other during asynchronous deflection and extension, but also a slight displacement movement. Since the connecting tube is also rotatable relative to the trailing arms (or their pipe sections 35 ', 35 " ), it would assume an undefined position without the spring element 32 , against which it always rests and is fixed by friction.

8 shows two exemplary embodiments of a four-bar chain, each with three rotary and one thrust joint: on the front axle, on the left in the picture, as a thrust crank drive (with the body-side joint 48 ' as a thrust joint) and on the rear axle as a crank loop (with the trailing arm-side joint 46 "' as a sliding joint).

The thrust joint is realized on the front axle in the form of a rail 48 ' (slightly curved in the side view) in which - similar to the suspension of a sliding door - a small wheel 42' rolls, which is mounted on the longest arm 43 by means of a swivel joint 46 ' and is guided through the rail. The "first" auxiliary link 41 with its two ball joints 45 and 47 corresponds in principle to the auxiliary links 1 and 21 of the previous examples, while the function of the second auxiliary link as a transmission link between the thrust joint 48 'and the pivot joint 46' is taken over here by the wheel 42 '. Instead of the curved one, a straight rail could also be used (then there would be a straight-thrust crank drive), but the curved path chosen here has the advantageous property in some applications that the instantaneous pole during compression and rebound (shown in dashed lines) is less pronounced in the vertical direction moves and thus ensures a travel behavior that is more independent of the travel. If the rail were curved in the other direction, ie downwards at its ends, the pole track would be correspondingly steeper.

The thrust crank drive has the advantage over the four-swivel chain that the swivel 46 'moves on a (almost) horizontal path and thus takes up only minimal vertical space. This configuration space advantage is fully exploited in the configuration of FIG. 8: As can be seen from the dash-dotted line, the auxiliary link 41 is arranged in such a way that, when fully deflected - the most critical driving condition with regard to ground clearance - it almost bears against the underside of the standing board. Both the ball joint of the trailing arm 45e and its swivel joint 46'e are here in their highest vertical position, that is to say the greatest possible distance from the roadway, so that an extremely low standing board position can be achieved. The fact that the auxiliary link moves away from the standing board when rebounding ( 45a ) is irrelevant to the ground clearance.

However, this spatial advantage is offset by a kinematic disadvantage, which appears in tight bends when the inside of the auxiliary link is fully deflected and the outer is fully rebounded. This is because the auxiliary link ( 45e ) on the inside of the curve is approaching its extended position, in which the pole path P will cut the (approximately horizontal) path of the swivel joint 46 'and the (sprung) instantaneous pole Me will coincide with the (sprung) hinge point 46'e . Already in the dash-dotted position - as just before the extended position - the ball joint 45'e moves almost perpendicular to the path of the pivot joint 46 ', so that further deflection of the trailing arm almost no displacement of the pivot joint 46' and thus no increase in the steering angle causes. The auxiliary link on the outside, on the other hand, occupies a position (45'a) in which - like the large vertical distance of the (sprung) instantaneous pole Ma from the path of the swivel joint 46 'shows - a very strong sliding movement of the trailing arm in the horizontal direction and thus causes a large change in steering angle. Since the steering angle of the sprung and the sprung trailing arm are linked with each other via the kinematic cross-connection 49 , this means in reverse that with increasing steering angle the wheel on the inside of the curve deflects faster than the outside on the curve, so that the superstructure or the standing board lowers with increasing lateral inclination (degressive roll kinematics). This negative kinematic effect can, as the later examples in FIGS. 10 and 12 show, be turned into positive if the auxiliary links are arranged in such a way that they do not approach their extended position when they are deflected, but when they are rebounded (progressive roll kinematics. However, this generally worsens ground clearance again.

In the present application example, however, this disadvantage of degressive roll kinematics is negligible, since it is compensated for by a progressive roll spring rate. For this purpose, strongly progressive coil springs 52 with non-constant winding spacing are used as spring elements. As indicated in FIG. 8, the distance between the individual spring windings is small at the bottom and increases linearly at the top. When deflecting, the lower turns first touch, lie against each other and therefore no longer contribute to the spring work. The more turns that are switched off in this way, the lower the number of remaining resilient turns and the harder the spring becomes over the spring deflection (progressive spring rate). In addition to the roll spring rate, the lift spring rate is also progressive because the spring forces, similar to FIG. 1, are transmitted directly from the trailing arms to the stand board 51 . Since, in contrast to FIG. 1, the handlebars are arranged below the standing board, the coil springs - like the "first" auxiliary links 41 - are always subjected to pressure and accordingly are not attached to the trailing arms and standing board like tension springs, but rather by the spring plates 53 and 54 guided.

On the rear axle, on the right in FIG. 8, a thrust joint in the form of a telescopic shock absorber (similar to the McPherson strut known from automotive engineering) is used, which is more complex than the front axle, but is more resistant to wear and corrosion. In this straight guide, a piston rod 42 "' with attached piston 46"' slides in a hollow cylinder, which forms a structural unit with the trailing arm 43 "' and displaces a hydraulic fluid (eg shock absorber oil) from a cylinder chamber when it springs in and out The other displaced hydraulic fluid flows through the valves 55 in the piston and opposes the piston movement a flow resistance (due to fluid friction) which dampens the vehicle vibrations and can be varied as desired via the adjustment of the valves, for example via the opening cross section of the Valves or via the spring preload when using spring-loaded check valves. With such a hydraulic vibration damper, the suspension and damping behavior can be optimally coordinated. From a kinematic point of view, the piston rod 42 "'performs the function of the" second "auxiliary link, which by means of the ball joint 48 "'at the construction 44"' g is stored. Its trailing arm-side joint is the thrust joint, which is composed of the piston rod 42 "', the piston 46"' and the hollow cylinder. The first auxiliary link 43 "' with its ball joints 45"' and 47 "' and the connecting element 49"' (which is designed as a tube in FIG. 3-7, which comprises two shafts of the same diameter concentrically) are functionally identical to the corresponding ones Components of the front axle. The crank loop of the rear axle therefore has a kinematic behavior similar to that of the thrust crank drive of the front axle, but with a much steeper pole track; ie with an even more declining roll kinematics.

FIG. 9 shows the wheel suspension from FIG. 8 in a top view, although some functional parts are varied compared to the side view: on the front axle, on the left in the picture, a functionally equivalent swivel joint 58 'is used instead of the wear-prone sliding joint 48'. In contrast to the quasi-flat four-link chains from FIGS. 1-7, in which all axes of rotation are arranged transversely-horizontally, here the axis of the pivot joint 58 'is approximately vertical and the associated ("second") auxiliary link 56' extends roughly across the direction of travel. The longitudinal link-side joint 57 'of the auxiliary link 56' therefore moves in a plan view on a circular path around the pivot joint 58 ', but describes an approximately horizontal straight line in the side view, so that there is kinematically straight-line guidance in the projection onto the plane of the drawing. This variant therefore combines the practical advantages of the four-link chain (no wear-prone straight guide joints) with the kinematic advantages of the thrust crank drive (low vertical space requirement). It is one of the four-link chains because the axes of rotation of the two auxiliary links (41 'and 56') are not arranged parallel to each other.

• Aufgrund des fehlenden Querverbunds verfügt jedes Rad über einen eigenen (Federungs-) Freiheitsgrad, ohne vom benachbarten Rad beeinflußt zu werden; jedes Rad steht für sich im Kräftegleichgewicht mit der zugehörigen Feder. Daher gibt es auch keine feste Zuordnung zwischen dem kurveninneren Lenkwinkel λ"' und dem kurvenäußeren Lenkwinkel λ'''', was zu einem indifferenten Fahrverhalten führen kann. Unangenehmer ist noch das Verhalten bei Geradeausfahrt, da jede Ein- oder Ausfederbewegung der Räder in einen Lenkwinkel umgesetzt wird. Bei den Verbundlenkerachsen bewirkt demgegenüber der kinematische Querverbund dafür, daß bei Kurvenfahrt die Lenkwinkel beider Räder stets gleich sind (λ"'=λ"") und daß bei Geradeausfahrt überhaupt kein Lenkwinkel erzeugt wird.
• Femer sorgt bei den Verbundlenkerachsen der kinematische Querverbund neben identi-schen Lenkwinkeln auch für identische Sturzwinkel beider benachbarter Räder relativ zum Aufbau (bzw. für konstante Lenk- oder Sturzdifferenzwinkel, falls aus fahrdynamischen Gründen der Ausgangslenk- oder -sturzwinkel unterschiedlich von Null gewählt wurde). Der Querverbund fesselt also 2 Freiheitsgrade pro Achse. Während auf die Fesselung des Lenkwinkel-Freiheitsgrades unter Inkaufnahme o.g. Funktionseinbußen verzichtet werden kann, muß der Sturzwinkel-Freiheitsgrad aufgehoben werden, damit das Rad nicht seitlich wegkippt. Dies ist an der Hinterachse in Fig. 9 dadurch realisiert, daß am "ersten" Hilfslenker 41 das aufbauseitige Kugelgelenk durch ein Drehgelenk 59"' und das längslenker-seitige Kugelgelenk durch ein Kardangelenk 60"' ersetzt wird, das statt 3 nur über 2 Freiheitsgrade verfügt (Drehung um eine vertikale sowie um eine quer-horizontale Drehachse). Die Drehgelenke verhindern die Drehung des Längslenkers 43"' um eine längs-horizontale Achse und halten somit den Radsturz konstant relativ zum Aufbau.

A further variant of the spatial four-link chain, which is shown on the rear axle (right in the picture), can be derived from the front axle wheel suspension of FIG. 9. There, the "second auxiliary link 56"'is not exactly transverse in the normal position, but is swept by the angle d. Because of this arrow, the trailing link 43 "" is pulled towards the center of the vehicle by the ball joint (58 "' e) during deflection (dash-dotted line) thereby turns the inside steering angle λ "', while the opposed trailing arm 43"" is moved away from the center of the vehicle and bends towards the outside steering angle λ"". In contrast to all the previous examples, this variant therefore does not exist of a kinematic cross-link, so there is no longer a torsion-beam axle, but a pure independent suspension, which is simpler due to the smaller number of joints, but has the following disadvantages compared to them:

• Due to the lack of a cross-connection, each wheel has its own (suspension) degree of freedom without being influenced by the neighboring wheel; each wheel stands in equilibrium with the associated spring. Therefore there is no fixed correlation between the inside steering angle λ "'and the outside steering angle λ'''', which can lead to an indifferent driving behavior. The behavior when driving straight ahead is even more uncomfortable, since every deflection or rebound movement of the wheels into one In contrast, in the case of the torsion beam axles, the kinematic cross-connection ensures that the steering angles of both wheels are always the same when cornering (λ "'= λ"") and that no steering angle is generated at all when driving straight ahead.
• In addition, the kinematic transverse linkage on the twist beam axles not only ensures identical steering angles, but also identical camber angles of both neighboring wheels relative to the bodywork (or constant steering or camber difference angles, if the starting steering angle or camber angle was chosen to be different from zero for driving dynamics reasons). The cross-bond therefore captivates 2 degrees of freedom per axis. While the tying of the steering angle degree of freedom can be dispensed with while accepting the above-mentioned functional loss, the camber angle degree of freedom must be abolished so that the wheel does not tip over sideways. This is realized on the rear axle in Fig. 9 by the fact that on the "first" auxiliary link 41 the body-side ball joint is replaced by a swivel joint 59 "' and the trailing arm-side ball joint is replaced by a universal joint 60"' which instead of 3 only has 2 degrees of freedom (rotation about a vertical and a transverse-horizontal axis of rotation). The swivel joints prevent the rotation of the trailing arm 43 ″ about a longitudinal-horizontal axis and thus keep the camber constant relative to the body.

Since this elaborate storage of the auxiliary link the cost advantage that from the Missing cross-connection results, is likely to destroy again, is the rear axle wheel suspension from Fig. 9 due to their functional disadvantages of subordinate Interest.

10 and 11 , a variant of the spatial four-link chain with a kinematic cross-connection (derived from the front axle suspension of FIG. 9) is carried out in detailed construction. Here, in addition to their kinematic properties, an additional practical advantage is used, which results from the vertical axis of rotation of the "second" auxiliary link 62: the two auxiliary links are suspended here on a common pivot bearing 68 and rigidly connected to one another. This component is referred to below as a cross member 69, into which a shaft 74 is cast and at the ends of which the longitudinal links 63 are guided on swivel joints 66 . The swivel joints 66 and 68 are each designed as double-row ball bearings 76 and 78 , the outer rings of which are pressed into the trailing arms 63 and the cross member 69, and the inner rings of which are pushed onto the shaft 80 and the screw of the swivel joint 68 and through the spacer tubes 75 and 77 are separated. The cross member 69 rigidly connects the left trailing arm 63 ' to the right 63 " and thus also advantageously takes over the function of the kinematic cross-connection. Since it is attached directly to the body by means of the swivel joint 68, it points with the rotation around this joint. in contrast to all the previous examples - but only a single degree of freedom relative to the body or the footprint, so it only has the degree of steering freedom, but not the degree of suspension freedom (in the previous examples, as well as with the wheel suspensions) the parent application, this degree of suspension freedom consists in the fact that the kinematic cross-connection can also move in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle relative to the bodywork, thus allowing the two trailing arms to deflect or rebound synchronously). In the following, "On - and rebound movements "of the trailing arms, but find them "Spring movements" no longer take place against the resistance of springs, but are kinematically dependent on one another via the cross-connection: The left trailing arm 63 'can only deflect when the right 63 "rebounds at the same time (and vice versa), i.e. when the body is turned during cornering Side is inclined.

The suspension is not only used for cost reasons, but mainly to fully exploit the kinematic advantages of the special shape of the twist beam axle selected here. In comparison to the thrust crank drive described previously in FIG. 8, the (first) auxiliary link 61 is arranged "upside down", ie the body-side ball joint 67 is located below the trailing arm side ball joint 65 , as in FIG. 1, whereby the auxiliary link 61 is always subjected to tension , Compared to FIG. 8, this arrangement has the advantage that the auxiliary link does not approach its extended position when it is deflected, but when it springs out, so that - as already mentioned - the body does not lower when the side is inclined, but rather rises ("support effect" or progressive roll kinematics). This effect can also be seen from the fact that the spring deflection (height difference between 70NL and 70e) is significantly less than the spring deflection (difference between 70NL and 70a). Raising the superstructure, which at the same time also raises the driver, enables a form of steering reset that is completely new for roller boards: the weight reset.

• Bei Rollbrettern werden zur Lenkungsrückstellung i.a. Gummi- oder Kunststoff-Federele-mente eingesetzt, die sich beim Ein- uns Ausfedern verformen und infolge dieser Verformungsarbeit unvermeidbare Energieverluste hinnehmen müssen. Dies ist besonders störend bei Skateboards, die z.T. durch sogenanntes "Pumpen" fortbewegt werden, bei dem der Fahrer durch ständiges Wechselkurvenfahren mit gleichzeitiger schlängelnder Gewichtsverlagerung sein Skateboard vorantreibt, ohne sich mit den Beinen von der Fahrbahn abzustoßen. Hier wirkt sich die verlustfreie und damit kräftesparende Umwandlung in potentielle Energie statt Federenergie besonders vorteilhaft aus. Dies ist auch ein Grund, warum in diesem spezifischen Beispiel auf die ebenfalls energiezehrende Hubfederung verzichtet wird.
• Bei schnellen Wechselkurven versucht der Fahrer, seinen Körperschwerpunkt möglichst auf gleicher Höhe und auf einer geraden Bahn zu halten, während das Rollbrett unter ihm eine Sinuskurve fährt. Hier kommt es ihm entgegen, wenn sich das Standbrett in den Scheitelpunkten der Kurven möglichst weit anhebt, so daß stets der Abstand zwischen Standbrett und Körperschwerpunkt weitgehend konstant bleibt und der Fahrer elegant aus den Knien oder der Hüfte heraus, ohne Hoch-Tief-Bewegung des Körpers, seine Kurven einleitet. So ergibt sich ein Snowboard-ähnliches Fahrverhalten, da Snowboards beim "Aufkanten" in der Kurve ebenfalls angehoben werden. Ähnliches gilt für Surf- und kleine, wendige Windsurfbretter.
• Wie sich in Fig. 10 aus dem Verlauf der Polbahn ablesen läßt (hierzu wurden neben der Normallage M und den Endlagen Me, Ma des Momentanpols auch noch jeweils 3 Zwischenschritte eingezeichnet) nimmt der Aufstützeffekt progressiv zu den Endlagen zu. Dieses Verhalten unterstützt das vorgenannte "aus den Knien Herausfahren" und wirkt sich zudem ähnlich positiv auf das Fahrverhalten aus wie die progressive Wankfeder aus Fig. 3, da hierdurch eine Überreaktion des Rollbretts auf zu heftige oder unbeabsichtigte Gewichtsverlagerungen verhindert wird.

While with all known roller boards, both the rigid axle suspensions and the torsion beam axles of the parent registration, the wheels are returned to the straight position or the standing surface into the horizontal starting position by (rolling) springs, the driver's weight (as well as the negligible one) is depressed here Stand board and construction dimensions) the stand board in its low position and thus in its horizontal starting position. The momentum from the steering movement is therefore not converted into spring energy, but into potential energy. This has the following advantages:

• In the case of roller boards, rubber or plastic spring elements are generally used to reset the steering, which deform when they are rebounded and rebound and, as a result of this deformation work, have to accept unavoidable energy losses. This is particularly troublesome for skateboards, which are sometimes moved by so-called "pumping", in which the driver drives his skateboard through constant alternating cornering with a simultaneous shifting weight without pushing his legs off the road. The loss-free and thus energy-saving conversion into potential energy instead of spring energy has a particularly advantageous effect here. This is also a reason why in this specific example there is no energy-consuming lifting suspension.
• In the case of fast alternating curves, the driver tries to keep his center of gravity at the same height and on a straight path as possible, while the roller board travels a sinus curve below him. Here it suits him if the base board rises as far as possible in the apex of the curves, so that the distance between the base board and the body's center of gravity remains largely constant and the driver elegantly out of the knees or hip, without high-low movement of the Body that initiates its curves. This results in a snowboard-like driving behavior, since snowboards are also raised when "edging" in the curve. The same applies to surfing and small, agile windsurf boards.
• As can be seen in FIG. 10 from the course of the pole track (in addition to the normal position M and the end positions Me, Ma of the instantaneous pole, 3 intermediate steps were also drawn in each case), the support effect increases progressively towards the end positions. This behavior supports the aforementioned "pulling out of the knees" and also has a similar positive effect on the driving behavior as the progressive roll spring from FIG. 3, since this prevents the roller board from overreacting to excessive or unintentional weight shifting.

In addition to these special advantages, there are the other advantages that the Twist beam wheel suspension offers and on the detailed in the master registration is received. Here in particular is that compared to the rigid axle roller boards to call much better cornering power of the wheels through the inclination of the wheels with the base board is brought about in and out of curves especially beneficial when "pumping" in fast change curves (higher speeds possible). This could increase this curve layering effect be that the steering axis defined by the pivot 68 and thus also the path of the rotary joints 66 in the side view (Fig. 10) somewhat clockwise would be pivoted. This caused the inside trailing arm 63 'to move somewhat farther in and the outer 63 "rebounds a little more than a vertical one Steering axis, so that the travel difference between the two trailing arms is somewhat would enlarge. The cross member would stand a little in the front view sloping relative to the road, which means that the camber angle g the wheels would enlarge somewhat relative to the road (similar to in Fig. 3 by the inclination of the connecting element 29 by the angle b relative to Standboard, which is a result of the different lengths of the auxiliary handlebars). If that Swivel would be swung in the opposite direction the cross member would be slightly less inclined relative to the road than with a vertical one Axis of rotation, the camber angle g would decrease accordingly and the Reduce the travel difference between the two trailing arms. (With such a Interpretation may lose some cornering ability, but it could e.g. be used when the tires are not very large due to their design Tolerate camber angle).

Because the suspension is dispensed with and due to the combination of two different functions in the rotatably suspended cross member 69 (implementation of the kinematic cross connection and replacement of 2 thrust joints by a simple swivel joint), this results in a relatively simple and inexpensive construction. In addition to the two cross members 69 and the 4 trailing arms 63, only 4 auxiliary links 61 are required for the wheel suspension of the roller board, but in this special case they are designed so that large numbers of available links from the automotive industry (so-called pendulum supports for stabilizers) are used and thus costs can be saved. They are constructed in a similar way to the auxiliary link 41 from FIGS. 3-7, but here have a cast aluminum housing (instead of the steel-welded construction). Their ball joints 65 are screwed into the trailing arms 63 and secured by the lock nut 79 . The balls are stored in the ball sockets 72 , permanently lubricated and sealed by the sleeves 73 .

In this simplified version, the wheel suspension has - although kinematically completely different - a certain similarity to a special form of the rigid axle wheel suspension on, which is known from the published patent application 28 45 942. Also there are two trailing arms ("swing arms" 18, 20) rotatably suspended on which the wheels (26, 28) are mounted. These trailing arms are however so short that they have no significant influence on the steering and Fall behavior of the wheels. Their function is only to: For the purpose of cushioning road impacts, a relative movement in vertical Allow direction between the cross member and the wheels; therefore they are via additional suspension elements (30, 82, 84, 116, 118, 176) with the cross member 16 connected. The steering function is performed solely by the cross member according to the usual Principle of the rigid axle wheel suspensions for roller boards: The rigid axle or the Crossmember is over a swivel bearing (pivot 44 with hole 36) hung on the underside of the standing board and is thus at a side tilt of the standing board forced to turn; the Resetting to the straight-ahead position takes place via a spring element ("buffer" 48). The size of the steering lock, i.e. the assignment of steering angle and side inclination of the standing board, is determined by the angular position of the swivel joint 36/44. The axes of rotation must be inclined so that their lines of action cut below the standing board (otherwise the steering lock would be in the wrong direction).

So this is a hybrid of independent suspension and rigid axle: As with the usual rigid axle suspensions, the base element (here as "Bracket" 14)) suspended on the inclined pivot bearing 36/44 Rigid axis 16 on which - as a characteristic feature of the main claim - two trailing arms 18, 20 (or two wheels 26/28) independently rotatable are stored (and independently of each other against the resistance of their own Can spring and rebound spring elements). Every trailing arm or every wheel therefore has two independent degrees of rotation relative to the body: the Rotation together with the rigid axle around the oblique steering axis as well as the independent one Rotation of each handlebar around the rigid axis. Both turns are made against the resistance of independent spring elements: the steering movement against the buffer 48 (roll suspension) and the spring movement against the suspension elements, e.g. 30 (lifting suspension). Since both spring elements are connected in series and can therefore spring independently of each other, the suspension functions do not separate properly, i.e. the buffer 48 can also when springing respond and the suspension element when steering and vice versa. The result is an indifferent driving behavior influenced by many coincidences (e.g. vibration processes when driving over bumps where the axle beam 16 can swing back and forth between the springs 48 and 30). In the Master registration will address these disadvantages in detail.

• Während bei der Starrachse die Lenkachse zur Erzielung eines Lenkwinkels schräggestellt werden muß, ist hier die Drehachse des Querträgers vorzugsweise vertikal zur Fahrbahn angeordnet, damit der Querträger stets parallel zur Standfläche bleibt und sich somit mit der Standfläche zur Seite neigt. Dies ist die Voraussetzung dafür, daß sich die Längslenker und damit - als ausschlaggebender Unterschied zur Starrachse - auch die Räder mit zur Seite neigen. Eine weitere Voraussetzung ist, daß die Längslenker ausreichend lang sind, so daß auch die ausgefederten Räder bei voller Seitenneigung des Standbretts am Boden bleiben.
• Während bei der schräg aufgehängten Starrachse der Lenkeinschlag auf direktem Weg durch die Reaktionskräfte der Fahrbahn erzeugt wird, ist in Fig. 10/11 wegen der vertikalen Drehachse ein Hilfslenker 61 erforderlich, der die (von der Fahrbahn erzwungene) Ein- oder Ausfederbewegung der Längslenker in einen Lenkwinkel des Querträgers umsetzt. Der Hilfslenker 61 ist neben dem Querträger 69 eine zweites Verbindungsglied zum Aufbau und schließt damit die Viergelenkkette. Von seiner Position und Winkelstellung hängt es ab, in welcher Richtung und mit welchem Betrag der Längslenker ausgelenkt wird.
• Durch geschickte Anordnung der Hilfslenker läßt sich erreichen, daß die Einund Ausfederwege der Längslenker unterschiedlich groß sind, so daß eine Gewichtsrückstellung nach dem Lenken realisiert und somit die Wankfeder eingespart werden kann. Dies ist bei einer Starrachsaufhängung (an einem einzelnen, schräg angestellten Drehgelenk) prinzipiell nicht möglich.

Kinematically, this wheel suspension could be called an "open three-link chain". In contrast to this, in the embodiment in Fig. 10/11 there is a closed four-link chain in which the wheel or the trailing arm has only a single degree of freedom (rotation about the instantaneous pole). Due to the additional coupling via the kinematic transverse connection (here: transverse beam 69), the two trailing arms together only have a single degree of freedom; ie one wheel can only compress if the other wheel compresses at the same time. As a result, the footprint also only has a single degree of freedom compared to the road (side inclination with simultaneous steering angle of the trailing arms). The different kinematic behavior of this embodiment in comparison with DE 28 45 942 A therefore has the following reasons:

• While in the rigid axle the steering axis must be tilted to achieve a steering angle, the axis of rotation of the cross member is preferably arranged vertically to the roadway so that the cross member always remains parallel to the standing surface and thus tilts to the side with the standing surface. This is the prerequisite for the trailing arms and thus - as a decisive difference to the rigid axle - also the wheels to tilt to the side. Another prerequisite is that the trailing arms are long enough so that the spring-loaded wheels remain on the ground when the standing board is fully inclined.
• While in the obliquely suspended rigid axle the steering angle is generated directly by the reaction forces of the road, an auxiliary link 61 is required in Fig. 10/11 due to the vertical axis of rotation, which controls the deflection or rebound movement of the trailing arm (forced by the road) implements a steering angle of the cross member. The auxiliary link 61 is in addition to the cross member 69 a second link for construction and thus closes the four-link chain. It depends on its position and angular position in which direction and with what amount the trailing arm is deflected.
• By cleverly arranging the auxiliary links, it is possible to achieve that the deflection and rebound travel of the trailing links are of different sizes, so that a weight reset can be realized after steering and thus the roll spring can be saved. In principle, this is not possible with a rigid axle suspension (on a single, inclined swivel joint).

It would therefore not be sufficient to use the trailing arms there in DE 28 45 942 A. The suspension function is dispensed with - just to be provided with one auxiliary link each, to achieve a similar kinematic behavior. This would need additional the steering axis is placed vertically and the trailing arms are extended so far, that the wheels on the outside of the curve do not lift when the side board is fully inclined.

• Da der Hilfslenker 82 stets auf Zug belastet ist, kann anstelle einer starren Stange auch eine Kette, ein Seil, ein Draht oder ein ähnlich flexibler zugfester Körper eingesetzt werden. In Fig. 12 ist der Hilfslenker als Stahlseil ausgeführt, das am Längslenker 83 und am Dreh-gelenk 88 (einer am Halter 96 aufgehängte Rolle) jeweils mittels Rillen geführt wird und in diesen verschleißfrei abrollen kann. An einem Ende ist es zylindrisch verdickt und am Längslenker eingehängt, am anderen Ende ist es über eine Klemmvorrichtung 95 am Standbrett 91 befestigt und kann mittels dieser in seiner Länge verstellt werden. (Solch eine Verstellung ist sinnvoll, wenn z.B. die Bodenfreiheit verändert oder bei Einsatz von unterschiedlich großen Rädern die Höhe des Standbretts angepaßt werden soll). Das Seil ist gegenüber einem starren Kugelgelenk-Hilfslenker i.a. kostengünstiger und hat darüber-hinaus den Vorteil, daß es in den Gelenkpunkten - wie aus dem Vergleich der Figuren 10 und 12 ersichtlich - weniger Bauraum benötigt. Da die Relativbewegungen zwischen dem Hilfslenker (Seil) und dem Längslenker bzw. dem Aufbau durch Verformung des (flexiblen) Seils erfolgt, sind keine Gelenke erforderlich; dafür ist das Seil in diesen Gelenkpunkten infolge der ständigen Verformungsarbeit allerdings wesentlich verschleißanfälliger als ein Kugelgelenk.
• Die Flexibilität des Seils wird in Fig. 12 für eine zusätzliche kinematische Variationsmöglichkeit genutzt, die ebenfalls dem vertikalen Bauraum zugute kommt. Die Ablaufkontur der Rille am Längslenker, in der das Seil beim Einund Ausfedern abrollt, ist in der Seitenansicht nur zur Hälfte als Kreis ausgebildet; in der anderen (rechten) Hälfte weitet sich der Kreis spiralförmig auf einen größeren Durchmesser, was sich wie folgt auf die Kinematik auswirkt: Wenn das Rad (bzw. die Radbefestigungsbohrung 90 im Längslenker) in die Position 90a ausfedert, rollt des Seil 82 am Längslenker 83 auf einem kleinen Kreisbogen in die Position 86a ab und verhält sich dabei ähnlich wie ein starrer Lenker. Dagegen rollt es beim Einfedern (90e) auf einer Bahnkurve ab, die sich progressiv aufweitet und das Seil mehr und mehr nach rechts auslenkt, wodurch sich die wirksame Seillänge ver-kürzt und somit den Lenkeinschlag beim Einfedern vergrößert (Verstärkung des Aufstütz-effekts). Dies wird u.a. auch daraus ersichtlich, daß der Anlenkpunkt 86e des Längslenkers am Seil im eingefederten Zustand deutlich weiter rechts liegt als der fiktive Anlenkpunkt 86e"'", der sich ohne diese spiralenförmige Ausweitung ergeben würde. Dadurch wandert der Momentanpol Me im eingefederten Zustand auf der Polbahn P wesentlich weiter nach unten als der fiktive Momentanpol Me"'" auf der fiktiven Polbahn P"'", was die Verstär-kung des Lenkeinschlags bestätigt. Um z.B. mit dem starren Kugelgelenk-Hilfslenker 61 aus Fig. 10 einen solch niedrigen Momentanpol zu realisieren, müßte dieser wesentlich länger ausgeführt und steiler angestellt werden. Er würde dann gerade im eingefederten Zustand (d.h. auf der kurveninneren, bzgl. Bodenfreiheit sensibleren Seite) am steilsten stehen und damit den höchsten vertikalen Bauraumbedarf beanspruchen. Hier würde also der Bauhöhennachteil zu Buche schlagen, auf den bei der Beschreibung des Schubkurbel-triebs (Fig. 8, Vorderachse) bereits hingewiesen wurde und der jene Auslegungen betrifft, in denen sich die Hilfslenker nicht beim Ein-, sondern beim Ausfedern ihrer Strecklage nähern. In solchen Fällen vergrößert sich nämlich der Winkel zwischen der Hilfslenker- und der Längslenker-Wirkungslinie beim Einfedern, was einen zunehmenden vertikalen Bauraumbedarf zur Folge hat. Dieser Nachteil wurde in Fig. 10/11 (mit ähnlicher kinematischer Auslegung) dadurch vermieden, daß infolge der "umgedrehten" Anordnung des Hilfslenkers der untere Anlenkpunkt 67 aufbaufest ist und somit seine Bodenfreiheit beim Ein- und Ausfedern nicht ändert; darüberhinaus ist das obere Gelenk 65 nicht unter, sondern etwas versetzt vor bzw. hinter der Standfläche angeordnet, wo das Gelenk auch in seiner steilsten Position nicht störend ist.
• In Fig.12/13 ist die Radaufhängung zusätzlich mit einer Federung versehen. Hierzu ist - wie aus der Ausschnittskizze Y ersichtlich - das Drehgelenk 87 nicht fest mit dem Stand-brett verschraubt, sondern in längshorizontaler Richtung beweglich gelagert. (Ansonsten ist es analog zu Fig. 10/11 aufgebaut: Das zweireihige Kugellager 98 ist in den Querträger 89 eingepreßt, seine Innenringe werden werden durch das Rohr 97 auf Distanz gehalten). Im Gegensatz zu Fig. 10/11 ist die Aufhängung des Drehgelenks 87 nicht als starrer Blechkörper, sondern als bewegungsfähiges Parallelogramm 81 ausgeführt, welches in ausgefederter Positionen gezeichnet ist (strichpunktiert: Normallage). Der Halter ist hier aus Kunststoff und weist an seinen Ecken 4 Filmscharniere auf, genausogut könnte aber ein Blechhalter mit 4 Klavierscharnieren oder sonstigen Drehgelenken eingesetzt werden. Statt der Parallelogramm-Aufhängung (aus kinematischer Sicht eine Viergelenkkette mit 2 parallelen Lenkern) können auch beliebige andere gelenkige Aufhängungen oder Geradführungen Anwendung finden, die dem Drehgelenk 87 einen Freiheitsgrad in Fahrzeug-Längsrichtung einräumen. (Eine Geradführung ließe sich z.B einfach dadurch realisieren, daß der Halter zwar starr ausgebildet, dafür jedoch - ähnlich wie in Fig. 7 - in einer Schiene längsverschieblich geführt ist). Der Federungs-Freiheitsgrad ist durch die Federelemente 92 eingeschränkt, welche die Hub- und die Wankfederung übernehmen; d.h. sie werden sowohl bei synchronen als auch asynchronen Ein- und Ausfederbewegungen ausgelenkt. Die Federelemente 92 sind (druckbelastete) Schraubenfedern, die in den Feder-Haltern 93 und 94 geführt werden. Statt 2 Federelemente pro Achse könnte im vorliegenden Beispiel auch eine zentrale Schraubenfeder Verwendung finden, die an der Mitte des Querträgers 89 angreift und damit nur als Hubfeder wirksam wäre; d.h. bei reiner Kurvenfahrt, wenn das kurveninnere Rad um den gleichen Betrag einfedert wie das äußere ausfedert, ist sie wirkungslos. Da die Lenkungsrückstellung wie in Fig. 10/11 durch Gewichtsrückstellung erfolgt, kann hier nämlich - sofern kinematisch für einen ausreichenden Aufstützeffekt gesorgt wurde - auf die Wankfederung gänzlich verzichtet werden. Aufgrund ihres Federungsfreiheitsgrads ergibt sich für diese Radaufhängung ein weiterer kinematischer Unterschied gegenüber der ähnlich aufgebauten Radaufhängung aus Fig. 10/11: Das Parallelogramm 81, das die Bewegung des Drehgelenks 87 in Längsrichtung ermöglicht, übt die Funktion der beiden "ersten" Hilfslenker aus, dadurch erfüllt der Querträger 89 nicht mehr wie dort die Doppelfunktion eines kinematischen Querverbunds und die eines Hilfslenker-Paares.
• In der Einzelheit Z ist eine Alternative zur o.g. Hub- und Wankfederung wiedergegeben, bei der auf die Beweglichkeit des Querträger-Drehlagers 87 in längshorizontaler Richtung (gemäß Einzelheit Y) sowie auf die Federn 92 verzichtet werden kann: Stattdessen wird das Ende des Hilfslenker-Seils nicht am Aufbau festgeklemmt, sondern über einen Ein-schraubstutzen 99 und eine vorgespannte Zugfeder 100 elastisch mit dem Aufbau ver-bunden. Diese ist hier aus Platzgründen liegend unter dem Standbrett angeordnet, wo sie die Bodenfreiheit nicht beeinträchtigt. Sie könnte aber auch beliebigen anderen Stellen untergebracht werden, an denen sie über das Seil erreichbar ist, oder auch gleich anstelle des Seils als Hilfslenker 82 eingesetzt werden. Aus kinematischen Gründen darf an dieser Position - innerhalb der Viergelenkkette - nur eine mit hohen Vorspannkräften ausgelegte Feder eingesetzt werden. (Vorgespannt bedeutet, daß die Federwindungen im un- und teilbelasteten Zustand fest aneinander anliegen und erst ab Überwindung einer bestimmten Vorspannkraft ausfedern; darunter wirkt die Feder praktisch wie ein Seil). Die Federvorspannkraft muß so hoch gewählt werden, daß die Feder im normalen Fahrbetrieb nicht arbeitet und erst bei sehr groben Fahrbahnstößen ausgelenkt wird, wie z. B. bei Überfahren eines Steins oder bei der Landung nach einem Sprung. Eine übliche Feder mit durchgehend linearer Kennlinie würde hier nämlich die Lenkeigenschaften drastisch verschlechtern, da ihre Elastizität die feste Zuordnung zwischen Ein- bzw. Ausfederweg des Längslenkers und seinem Verschiebeweg in horizontaler Richtung (der den Lenkwinkel bestimmt) aufheben würde. Damit wäre auch die feste Zuordnung zwischen der Schräglage des Stand-bretts und dem Lenkwinkel aufgehoben, und die Folge wäre ein ähnlich undefiniertes, nicht kalkulierbares Lenkverhalten wie bei der Radaufhängung der vorher erwähnten Offenlegungsschrift 28 45 942. Daher muß mit Rücksicht auf das Kurvenfahrverhalten die Feder 100 so stark vorgespannt werden, daß sie im normalen Fahrbetrieb steif bleibt und nur in Ausnahmefällen federt. (Bei Geradeausfahrt wirkt sich die Federung dagegen nicht auf des Lenkverhalten aus; bei Ansprechen der Federung federn die Längslenker ein und aus, ohne einen Lenkwinkel zu erzeugen, und verhalten sich hier analog einer Längslenker-Einzelradaufhängung).

The wheel suspension in FIGS. 12 and 13 represents a reversal of the kinematic principle from FIG. 10/11: While there the "second" auxiliary links 62 with the transverse connection to the so-called cross member 69 were combined, these are the "first" auxiliary links 81 here Cross member 89 . And while the handlebars are arranged there in terms of their direction of action similar to that in Fig. 1 - the "first" auxiliary handlebar (which faces the wheel) is always under tension - this applies in Fig. 12/13 (as well as in Fig. 3 -7) for the "second" auxiliary link 82 . However, since it also approaches its stretched position when rebounding, the standing area is also raised when cornering and reset by the driver's weight after the curve (positive roll kinematics). Despite the inverse structural design, both embodiments are therefore kinematically equivalent. They also differ in other different design details:

• Since the auxiliary link 82 is always subjected to tension, a chain, a rope, a wire or a similar flexible tensile body can be used instead of a rigid rod. In FIG. 12, the auxiliary link is designed as a steel cable which is guided on the longitudinal link 83 and on the swivel joint 88 (a roller suspended on the holder 96 ) by means of grooves and can roll in these without wear. At one end it is cylindrically thickened and suspended on the trailing arm, at the other end it is fastened to the stand board 91 via a clamping device 95 and its length can be adjusted by means of this. (Such an adjustment is useful if, for example, the ground clearance is changed or the height of the base board is to be adjusted when using wheels of different sizes). The cable is generally cheaper than a rigid ball-joint auxiliary link and also has the advantage that it requires less installation space in the articulation points, as can be seen from the comparison of FIGS. 10 and 12. Since the relative movements between the auxiliary link (rope) and the trailing link or the body are caused by deformation of the (flexible) rope, no joints are required; however, the rope in these hinge points is much more susceptible to wear than a ball joint due to the constant deformation work.
• The flexibility of the rope is used in Fig. 12 for an additional kinematic variation option, which also benefits the vertical installation space. The side contour of the groove on the trailing arm, in which the rope rolls when it is compressed and rebounded, is only half of a circle in the side view; in the other (right) half, the circle widens spirally to a larger diameter, which affects the kinematics as follows: When the wheel (or the wheel mounting hole 90 in the trailing arm) springs into position 90a , the rope 82 rolls on the trailing arm 83 on a small circular arc to position 86a and behaves similarly to a rigid handlebar. On the other hand, when it is deflected ( 90e ), it rolls on a trajectory that progressively widens and deflects the rope more and more to the right, which shortens the effective rope length and thus increases the steering angle when deflecting (reinforcement of the support effect). This is evident, among other things, from the fact that the articulation point 86e of the trailing arm on the rope in the sprung-in state lies significantly further to the right than the fictitious articulation point 86e "" , which would result without this spiral-shaped expansion. As a result, the instantaneous pole Me in the sprung state on the pole track P moves much further down than the fictitious instantaneous pole Me "'" on the fictitious pole track P "'", which confirms the reinforcement of the steering angle. In order to realize such a low instantaneous pole, for example, with the rigid ball joint auxiliary link 61 from FIG. 10, this would have to be made much longer and steeper. It would then be at its steepest in the spring-loaded state (ie on the inside of the curve, which is more sensitive with regard to ground clearance) and would therefore require the greatest vertical space requirement. This would be the disadvantage of the height, which was already pointed out in the description of the thrust crank mechanism (Fig. 8, front axle) and which relates to designs in which the auxiliary links do not approach their extended position when they are deflected, but when they are rebounded , In such cases, the angle between the auxiliary link and the trailing link line of action increases during deflection, which results in an increasing vertical space requirement. This disadvantage was avoided in Fig. 10/11 (with a similar kinematic design) in that, as a result of the "upside down" arrangement of the auxiliary link, the lower articulation point 67 is rigid and thus does not change its ground clearance when deflecting and rebounding; moreover, the upper joint 65 is not arranged below, but somewhat offset in front of or behind the standing surface, where the joint is not disturbing even in its steepest position.
• In Fig. 12/13 the wheel suspension is additionally provided with a suspension. For this purpose, as can be seen from the detail sketch Y , the swivel joint 87 is not firmly screwed to the standing board, but is mounted so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. (Otherwise, it is constructed analogously to Fig. 10/11: The double-row ball bearing 98 is pressed into the cross member 89, its inner rings are kept at a distance by the tube 97 ). In contrast to Fig. 10/11, the suspension of the swivel joint 87 is not designed as a rigid sheet metal body, but as a movable parallelogram 81 , which is drawn in sprung positions (dash-dotted lines: normal position). The holder is made of plastic and has 4 film hinges at its corners, but a sheet metal holder with 4 piano hinges or other swivel joints could just as well be used. Instead of the parallelogram suspension (from a kinematic point of view, a four-link chain with 2 parallel links), any other articulated suspensions or straight guides can be used which give the pivot joint 87 a degree of freedom in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. (A straight guide could be implemented, for example, simply by the holder being rigid, but being guided in a rail in a longitudinally displaceable manner, as in FIG. 7). The degree of suspension freedom is limited by the spring elements 92 , which take over the lifting and rolling suspension; ie they are deflected in both synchronous and asynchronous deflection and rebound movements. The spring elements 92 are (pressure-loaded) coil springs which are guided in the spring holders 93 and 94 . Instead of 2 spring elements per axis, a central coil spring could also be used in the present example, which acts on the center of the cross member 89 and would therefore only be effective as a lifting spring; ie when cornering only, if the inside wheel deflects by the same amount as the outer one, it has no effect. Since the steering reset takes place by means of weight reset, as in Fig. 10/11, the roll suspension can be completely dispensed with here - provided that a sufficient support effect has been provided kinematically. Due to their degree of suspension freedom, there is a further kinematic difference for this wheel suspension compared to the similarly constructed wheel suspension from Fig. 10/11: The parallelogram 81, which enables the movement of the swivel joint 87 in the longitudinal direction, performs the function of the two "first" auxiliary links, thereby the cross member 89 no longer fulfills the double function of a kinematic cross assembly and that of a pair of auxiliary links.
• In detail Z , an alternative to the above-mentioned lifting and rolling suspension is shown, in which the mobility of the cross member pivot bearing 87 in the longitudinal direction (according to detail Y) and the springs 92 can be dispensed with: instead, the end of the auxiliary link cable becomes not clamped to the body, but elastically connected to the body via a screw-in socket 99 and a pre-tensioned tension spring 100 . For reasons of space, this is arranged under the base board where it does not impair the ground clearance. However, it could also be accommodated in any other place where it can be reached via the rope, or could also be used as an auxiliary link 82 instead of the rope. For kinematic reasons, only a spring designed with high pretensioning forces may be used in this position - within the four-link chain. (Preloaded means that the spring windings lie tightly against each other in the unloaded and partially loaded state and only spring out after a certain preload has been overcome; underneath the spring practically acts like a rope). The spring preload must be chosen so high that the spring does not work in normal driving and is only deflected at very rough road impacts, such as. B. when driving over a stone or landing after a jump. A conventional spring with a continuously linear characteristic curve would in fact drastically deteriorate the steering properties, since its elasticity would eliminate the fixed association between the spring-in and spring-out travel of the trailing arm and its displacement in the horizontal direction (which determines the steering angle). This would also remove the fixed assignment between the inclined position of the standing board and the steering angle, and the result would be a similarly undefined, incalculable steering behavior as with the wheel suspension of the aforementioned publication 28 45 942. Therefore, the spring must be considered with regard to cornering behavior 100 are biased so much that it remains stiff in normal driving and springs only in exceptional cases. (On the other hand, when driving straight ahead, the suspension does not affect the steering behavior; when the suspension responds, the trailing arms spring in and out without creating a steering angle, and behave here analogously to trailing arm independent wheel suspension).

With the previously discussed suspensions in Fig. 1-9 as well as with the helical compression springs 92 in Fig. 12/13 this disadvantage does not apply because in these cases the Spring elements are not arranged inside but outside the four-link chain are and thus the assignment between travel and steering angle do not affect.

Helical compression springs as in Fig. 12/13 could also be arranged in an analogous arrangement in Fig. 11/12 are used to cushion the cross member 69 there against the structure 64. Since this cross member 69, however, without a longitudinal degree of freedom is rotatably attached to the structure, such springs would only be used for rotary movements of the cross member about its vertical axis of rotation and thus only used for steering reset (roll suspension). You would be in Fig. 10/11 only makes sense if there is the kinematic weight recovery effect was not sufficiently implemented or an additional steering provision would be desirable to e.g. the wheels already in during a jump attributed to the flight phase in the straight ahead position.

The subject of FIGS. 14 to 16 is a wheel suspension in the form of a quasi-flat four-link chain, which is designed in such a way that all of the auxiliary links are always subjected to tension and thus, like the auxiliary link 82 from FIGS. 12/13, can be designed as a rope. The four-link chain is therefore kinematically a hybrid form from the first two exemplary embodiments (FIGS. 1-2 and 3-7). In addition to the auxiliary links 101 and 102, it also has a third auxiliary link 115 , which supports the second (102) laterally and thus makes the use of a swivel joint in the four-link chain unnecessary. All joints are therefore gimbal-type cable connections as with the auxiliary link from Fig. 12/13. To make the wheel suspension even more cost-effective, all 6 auxiliary links on a vehicle axle consist of a single piece of rope. Its ends are thickened cylindrically and each is suspended in the first hinge 107 on the body side . From there, in its function as the "first" auxiliary link 101, it leads to the first articulated link 105 on the trailing link , which is designed as a fixed roller and is screwed to the trailing link 103 . From this role it is stretched to the role of the second longitudinal-link joint 106 , which is screwed together with the connecting element 109 to the longitudinal link 103; see rear view (Fig. 16). From this picture it can be seen that the groove of the rollers serves to guide the rope in the articulation points. (This would not actually require a circumferential groove in the form of a roller; instead, a roller segment or - as an additional kinematic variation option - a spiral guide as on the trailing arm 83 in Fig. 12 could be used. However, the configuration in Fig. 14 offers Roll as guide elements, because here the wrap angle of the rope is far above 90 °). In order to prevent the rope from slipping on the rollers, it is clamped to the longitudinal link 103 by the fastening element 118 (only shown in FIGS. 14 and 15). By loosening this fastening element, the cable can be moved on the trailing arm and thus the length of the auxiliary links 101 and 102 can be varied in a simple manner. In its function as a "second" auxiliary link 102, the rope now leads upwards from the second trailing arm-side joint 106 to the second body-side joint 108 ' and is fastened there on the stand board 111 with the aid of a clamp. This clamp is part of the superstructure 104 - a sheet metal construction which is pulled down from the second superstructure-side articulation point 108 to the first superstructure-side articulation point 106 and from there up to the front fastening screw on the stand board. In its function as the "third" auxiliary link 115 ', the cable goes diagonally downwards from the second articulation point 108' to the center of the vehicle, is clamped there by means of the clamp 116 and the pipe protection sleeve 117 to the connecting element 109 and again leads obliquely upwards ( 115 " ) to the opposite articulation point 108 " . The two third auxiliary links 115 'and 115 "support the connecting element 109 laterally in the manner of a truss and thus transmit the lateral forces introduced via the trailing arms to the body 104.

In this example, the connecting element 109 is not designed as a (torsion-free) rotary or rotary thrust joint, but rather as a torsion-soft tube, as is known, for example, as a tube stabilizer from motor vehicle construction. To reduce the torsional stiffness, it can be partially or fully slotted. The tube 109 connects the two trailing arms 103 'and 103 "to one another in a flexurally stiff but torsionally soft manner and thus allows the two trailing arms to rotate with respect to one another about the tube axis if the trailing links deflect and retract differently (cornering). This rotating movement is caused by the torsional stiffness of the pipe opposes a spring resistance, with which the connecting element 109 takes over the function of the roll suspension or the steering reset. The torsion spring rate can be varied via the pipe wall thickness and the length of the slot in such a way that the entire roll suspension is applied by the pipe 109 alone Therefore, only one coil spring 112 is used here per vehicle axle, which engages in the center of the tube and therefore works exclusively as a lift spring, because it is not deflected in the same amount asynchronous spring and rebound movements (pure cornering). Holder 113 ) is by means of d he fastening clamp 116 is screwed to the tube 109, and the "body-side" spring plate 114 is fastened directly to the underside of the standing board. The division of the lifting and rolling springs into two different spring elements (coil spring 112 and tube stabilizer 109) has the advantage that lifting and roll spring rate can be adjusted independently of one another and subsequently changed independently of one another; Eg exchange of the coil spring to adapt to different driver weights or floor clearance requirements.

If tube 109 is twisted during asynchronous compression and rebound, twist the trailing arms move relative to each other - without axial displacement. In contrast to the rotary joint joint elements 9 and 29 of the first two exemplary embodiments so the pipe 109 does not allow length compensation, which is why here strictly speaking, there is no kinematically exact suspension either. This in the present case, however, does not have a negative impact on driving behavior, since when cornering (if the connecting element 109 in FIG. 16 is out of the plane of the drawing unscrewed and shortened in the projection to the drawing level) only one of the two "third" auxiliary links 115 'and 115 "due to lateral forces on the train is loaded and the other due to bulging of the rope - with simultaneous lifting the connecting element - ensures the necessary length compensation.

• Spritzschutz 119 für die Räder 110 (nur an der Vorderachse in Fig. 14/15 strichpunktiert dargestellt). Dieser ist direkt an den Längslenkern 103 angebracht und schützt insbesondere bei Rollbrettern, die auf feuchten Untergründen eingesetzt werden (z.B. Strandsurfer auf Stränden, die erst kurz zuvor von der Ebbe freigegeben wurden oder teilweise noch überflutet sind) den Fahrer und das Brett vor dem Bewurf von Wasser, Schlamm oder Schlick. Prinzipiell kann ein solcher Spritzschutz selbstverständlich auch bei anderen Rollbrett-Radaufhängungen beliebiger Bauart angebracht werden, doch wäre dort ein wesentlich höherer konstruktiver Aufwand erforderlich. Bei Starrachsen z.B. müßten am eigentlichen Spritzschutz (am Radumfang) noch seitliche Halterungselemente angeformt werden, die den Spritzschutz mit dem zentralen Achskörper verbinden; etwa in Form gewölbter Kotflügel bei Vorkriegs-Automobilen. Bei Verbundlenkerachsen auf Längslenker-Basis kann der Spritzschutz dagegen ohne zusätzliche Halterungen an den direkt am Rad vorbeiführenden Längslenkern angebracht werden. Im speziellen Anwendungsfall in Fig. 14/15 sogar noch mit der zusätzlichen Vereinfachung, daß die Schrauben des Seil-Befestigungselements 118 zur Verschraubung des Spritzschutzes 119 mitverwendet werden können.
• Kufen 120 anstelle der Räder 110 (nur an der Hinterachse in Fig. 14/15 dargestellt). Wie die Räder sind sie mit Drehgelenken an den Längslenkern befestigt; allerdings müssen solche Längslenker, die - wie im vorliegenden Ausführungsbeispiel - auf große Raddurch-messer ausgelegt sind, geometrisch modifiziert oder mit einem Adapter versehen werden, um gleiche Bodenfreiheit zu erreichen. Derartige Kufen (z.B. in Form von Eiskufen oder Schneeskiern) sind für die Stammanmeldung bereits aus der Zusatzanmeldung 196 02 447.1-15 bekannt und ausführlich mitsamt ihren konstruktiven Merkmalen und ihren Vorteilen beschrieben. Ihr Einsatz wird im Zuge dieser Patentanmeldung lediglich auf Radaufhängungen auf Basis von Viergelenkketten erweitert. Kufen für rollbrettähnliche Eis- oder Schneefahrzeuge (u.a. Eissurfer) sind zwar auch aus zahlreichen anderen Patent- oder Offenlegungsschriften vorbekannt, doch können sie dort bei Kurvenfahrt nicht so wirkungsvoll wie bei den Verbundlenkerachsen eingesetzt werden, da sie nur bei diesen (infolge der Schrägstellung der Kufen wie z.B. bei einem Schlittschuhläufer in der Kurve) ihr volles Seitenführungspotential entfalten können.

Finally, FIGS. 14 and 15 also show two ranges of accessories which, although not covered by the main claim of this patent application, result in particularly advantageous combinations in connection with the wheel suspensions claimed here:

• Splash guard 119 for the wheels 110 (only shown in phantom on the front axle in Fig. 14/15). This is attached directly to the trailing arms 103 and protects the driver and the board from being thrown, especially on roller boards that are used on damp surfaces (e.g. beach surfers on beaches that were only recently cleared by the ebb tide or are partially flooded) Water, mud or silt. In principle, such a splash guard can of course also be attached to other roller board wheel suspensions of any type, but a significantly higher design effort would be required there. In the case of rigid axles, for example, lateral mounting elements would have to be molded onto the actual splash guard (on the wheel circumference), which connect the splash guard to the central axle beam; for example in the form of curved fenders in pre-war automobiles. In the case of twist-beam axles based on trailing arm, however, the splash guard can be attached to the trailing arms leading directly past the wheel without additional brackets. In the special application in Fig. 14/15 even with the additional simplification that the screws of the cable fastening element 118 can be used for screwing the splash guard 119.
• Skids 120 instead of wheels 110 (only shown on the rear axle in Fig. 14/15). Like the wheels, they are attached to the trailing arms with swivel joints; However, trailing arms, which - as in the present exemplary embodiment - are designed for large wheel diameters, have to be geometrically modified or provided with an adapter in order to achieve the same ground clearance. Such runners (eg in the form of ice runners or snow skis) are already known for the parent application from additional application 196 02 447.1-15 and are described in detail together with their constructive features and their advantages. In the course of this patent application, their use is only extended to wheel suspensions based on four-link chains. Skids for roller-board-like ice or snow vehicles (including ice surfers) are also known from numerous other patents or published documents, but they cannot be used there when cornering as effectively as with the torsion beam axles, since they can only be used on these (due to the inclined position of the skids such as with a skater in the curve) can develop their full cornering potential.

In all the embodiments discussed so far, the wheel suspension according to the invention is used exclusively in four-wheel (or four-skid), two-axle and two-track vehicles which are controlled with both legs by means of sloping the base board. However, its main features - in particular the wheels or runners inclined with the body when cornering - suggest that the torsion-beam axles should also be paired with known axle designs of single-track vehicles (such as motorcycles or bicycles), the wheels of which are also placed in the curve. With such a three-wheel vehicle, advantages of single-track vehicles (generally more dynamic cornering behavior) can be combined with those of the two-track vehicle (including stability). 17 to 19 show two such exemplary embodiments.

• An der Hinterachse stehen seitlich keine Räder hervor, die den Fahrer stören könnten, wenn er sein Rollbrett mit dem hinteren Fuß von der Fahrbahn abstößt und antreibt (Anwendung als Skateboard).
• Das einzelne Hinterrad läßt sich auf einfachere Weise als bei einer zweispurigen Achse zusätzlich mit einem Fremdkraft-Antrieb versehen. In Fig. 17/18 wird das Hinterrad 124"' beispielhaft durch einen Elektromotor 129 angetrieben, der sein Drehmoment über den Keilriemen 128"' und die Riemenscheibe 126"' zum Hinterrad überträgt. Der Keilriemen wird über die (nur in der Seitenansicht dargestellte) Spannrolle 127 vorgespannt, die durch eine Schrauben(zug)feder am Standbrett 122 abgestützt ist. Die Batterie 130 dient als Stromquelle für den Motor 129. Auf weitere Details, wie Kabelverlegung oder Motoran-steuerung, wird hier nicht näher eingegangen.

In the first example (Fig. 17/18), any torsion beam front axle 121 according to the invention, which is not detailed here, is combined with a single-track rear axle 123 . A one-armed trailing arm (so-called single-arm swing arm) known from motorcycle construction was chosen as the rear axle wheel suspension, which is mounted on the stand board 122 by means of a transverse-horizontal swivel joint and can deflect relative to the stand board against the resistance of a helical (compression) spring. Apart from this degree of suspension freedom, the rear wheel 124 "' has no further degree of freedom and is therefore not steerable. Therefore, the front wheels 124' and 124" have to be turned twice as much as with a four-wheeled roller board with symmetrical front and rear axles in order to reach the same circle radius drive. The advantages of such a tricycle:

• There are no wheels on the side of the rear axle that could disturb the driver if he pushes his roller board off the road with his rear foot and drives it (used as a skateboard).
• The individual rear wheel can also be provided with an external power drive in a simpler manner than with a two-track axle. 17/18, the rear wheel 124 "'is driven, for example, by an electric motor 129 , which transmits its torque to the rear wheel via the V-belt 128"' and the pulley 126 "' . The V-belt is driven by the (only shown in the side view) Pretensioned pulley 127 , which is supported by a helical spring on the stand board 122. The battery 130 serves as a power source for the motor 129. Further details, such as cable laying or motor control, are not discussed in more detail here.

As is recommended in a motor-driven vehicle, the exemplary embodiment from FIGS. 17/18 is also provided with a vehicle brake on the front axle. Analogous to the drive torque, the braking torque is also transmitted to the front wheels 124 'and 124 "via a V-belt drive. The V-belts 126' and 126", which are attached with their front ends to the brake pedal lever 128 and are attached to the connecting element of the compound handlebar axle at the rear in normal driving a little bit down. For braking, the driver steps on the brake pedal lever 128, thereby tensioning both V-belts 126 'and 126 "against the pulleys 125' and 125" and thus generates a frictional force between the V-belt and the pulley or a braking torque on the front wheels. Instead of the foot actuation, the brake upper Bowden cables could also be operated by hand, and instead of the V-belt pulleys, any other brake systems from the construction of bicycles, motorcycles or motor vehicles could also be used; such as disc, drum, rim or tire brakes.

In the second exemplary embodiment, the torsion beam link 131 according to the invention is used on the rear axle and combined with a single-track front axle 133 . In contrast to Fig. 17/18, the single-track axle 133 can be steered and is therefore similar to a bicycle, motorcycle or scooter front axle: The front wheel 134 is mounted in a fork 513 , which in turn is connected to the by means of an approximately vertical swivel 136 Standboard 132 is connected and can be controlled by the driver using the handlebar 137 . Similar to a scooter, the driver stands on the stand board 132 and holds onto the handlebar 137. In addition to the steering lock on the front axle, he can also actively use the self-steering behavior of the torsion beam rear axle by tilting the standing board, so that he has a varied cornering technique at his disposal. Compared to the known scooters (with unguided rear axle), the driving behavior is much more agile. The same applies if the front axle is not articulated on the standing board, but on a bicycle or motorcycle frame on which the rear axle 131 and a driver's seat are attached; Such a construction is shown in detail in Fig. 16/17 of parent application P 44 26 337.6-09.

A further application of the wheel suspension according to the invention in combination with an articulated vehicle body is shown in FIG. 20 . Here, the footprint is divided into two in the manner of a so-called snakeboard, the two segments 142 ' and 142 "being articulated to one another via a connecting link 143. As with the original snakeboard, which each has an unguided rigid axle under the standboard segments the swivel joints 144 twist the two segments towards each other in order to steer the vehicle in the desired direction of travel and to be able to move through rhythmic alternating cornering, in contrast to the original snakeboard, in which the unguided rigid axles do not allow the sides of the standing surfaces to tilt and the driver to one force an upright foot position, he can lie fully in the curve when using a torsion beam suspension and actively use its self-steering behavior.For example, the vehicle could be set in motion by the snakeboard-typical meandering movements and then moved on like a snowboard by tilting the standing board , I agree Both curve techniques can also be varied with one another as desired.

Advantages of the invention

• Bei Geradeausfahrt verhält sich die Verbundlenkerachse wie eine Längslenker-Einzelradaufhängung und ermöglicht dadurch in Verbindung mit einer Federung das Schlucken von Bodenwellen, Schlaglöchern oder Steinen ohne Rückwirkungen auf Sturz, Vorspur und Spurweite (damit ohne Rückwirkungen auf das Fahrverhalten). Auch bei Kurvenfahrt bleibt der Radsturz relativ zum Aufbau konstant und gewährleistet damit ein optimales Sturzverhalten (maximales Seitenführungsvermögen durch "Kurvenlegen" mit dem Aufbau). Der kinematische Querverbund sorgt für einen definierten, dem Neigungswinkel des Aufbaus proportionalen Lenkwinkel der Räder. Die Starrachs-Radaufhängungen herkömmlicher Rollbretter sind demgegenüber zwar einfacher aufgebaut, dafür muß jedoch insbesondere aufgrund ihres schlechteren Sturzverhaltens auf ein erhebliches Seitenfüh-rungspotential verzichtet werden, weshalb dort auch nur relativ geringe Querbeschleunigungen erreicht werden können. Die Starrachse ist auch der Grund dafür, daß bei Kurvenfahrt nicht die inneren, sondern die äußeren Räder stärker belastet werden: Die auf den Fahrer einwirkende Zentrifugalkraft wird zusammen mit dessen Gewichtskraft über die Drehgelenke in die Starrachse eingeleitet und erzeugt dort ein Moment, das die äußeren Räder be- und die inneren entlastet. Bei der Verbundlenkerachse werden dagegen, wie bei allen Einzelradaufhängungen, die kurveninneren, eingefederten Räder stärker belastet als die äußeren und weisen daher aufgrund der höheren Federkräfte auch höhere Radlasten als außen auf (die Radlastdifferenz ist proportional zur Federwegdifferenz bzw. zur Brettneigung). Damit ist das Fahrgefühl Snowboard- und Surfbrett-ähnlicher, da dort ebenfalls mit zunehmender Querbeschleunigung die kurveninnere Kante stärker belastet wird.
• Die relativ weiche Federung mit großen Federwegen sorgt dafür, daß bei Fahrbahnunebenheiten jeglicher Art die unvermeidlichen Radlaständerungen so gering wie möglich aus-fallen, so daß das Seitenführungsvermögen der Räder, das Gleichgewicht des Fahrers und auch der Fahrkomfort nur wenig beeinträchtigt werden. Je nach Wahl der Reifen (Durch-messer, Breite, Profil, Luftdruck) sowie der Feder-Kenndaten (Federwege, Feder- und Dämpferrate) wird - bei guter Kontrollierbarkeit des Bretts - ein nahezu unbegrenzter Geländeeinsatz ermöglicht, solange der Untergrund trägfähig ist.
• Die Federung eröffnet darüberhinaus vielfältige Einflußmöglichkeiten zur individuellen - auch nachträglichen - Beeinflussung des Fahrverhaltens und der Komforteigenschaften. So können z.B. kürzere Federn zur Aufbautieferlegung, härtere Federn für eine Sportfederungen oder weichere Federn für eine Komfortfederungen eingesetzt werden. Neben der Hubfederung lassen sich durch Veränderung der Wank-Federrate auch die Lenkungseigenschaften und das Eigenlenkverhalten des Rollbretts variieren. (Üblicherweise sind bei Rollbrettem Vorder- und Hinterachse symmetrisch zueinander ausgelegt und auch bezüglich ihrer Federungseigenschaften identisch, so daß sie ein neutrales Eigenlenkverhalten aufweisen. In gewissen Ausnahmefällen ist es jedoch vorteilhaft, wenn insbesondere die Wankfederraten vorne und hinten unterschiedlich abgestimmt sind; so könnte z.B. bei Strandsurfern das Rollbrett - ähnlich wie bei Kraftfahrzeugen - durch eine stärkere Vorderachs-Wankfederung untersteuernder ausgelegt werden, um die bei hohen Geschwindigkeiten auftretende Übersteuertendenz zu kompensieren, die sich meist durch ein Wegdriften der Hinterachse äußert. Das Übersteuern ist eine Folge der Segeldruckpunkt-Verlagerung nach hinten, wenn das Segel mit zunehmender Geschwindigkeit stärker nach hinten geneigt wird und der Fahrer dementsprechend auch sein Gewicht nach hinten verlagert). Einen wesentlichen Einfluß auf das Fahr- und Komfortverhalten haben auch die Dämpfungseigenschaften der Federn, für die insbesondere bei Elastomere-Federn (u.a. Formfeder in Fig. 3-7) ein weiter Abstimmspielraum zur Verfügung steht Die Dämpfung sorgt vor allem dafür, daß nach Beendigung der Kurvenfahrt oder nach Überfahren von Bodenun-ebenheiten die Fahrzeugschwingungen schnellstmöglich abgebaut werden. Falls die Eigendämpfung der Federn nicht ausreicht, können auch separate Stoßdämpfer, wie an der Hinterachse in Fig. 8, verwendet werden.

The advantages of the torsion beam suspension on the basis of the trailing arm independent suspension compared to the usual roller boards have already been described in detail in DE 44 26 337 C. Here is a brief summary:

• When driving straight ahead, the torsion-beam axle behaves like a trailing arm independent wheel suspension and, in conjunction with suspension, enables swallowing of bumps, potholes or stones without repercussions on camber, toe-in and track width (thus without repercussions on driving behavior). Even when cornering, the wheel camber remains constant relative to the body and thus guarantees optimal camber behavior (maximum cornering ability through "cornering" with the body). The kinematic cross-connection ensures a defined steering angle of the wheels that is proportional to the inclination of the body. The rigid axle wheel suspensions of conventional roller boards, on the other hand, are of a simpler design, however, because of their poorer fall behavior, considerable lateral potential has to be dispensed with, which is why only relatively low lateral accelerations can be achieved there. The rigid axle is also the reason why it is not the inner, but the outer wheels that are subjected to greater stress when cornering: the centrifugal force acting on the driver, together with his weight, is introduced into the rigid axle via the swivel joints and creates a moment there that the outer Wheels loaded and the inner relieved. On the other hand, as with all independent wheel suspensions, the torsionally sprung wheels on the twist beam axle are subjected to greater loads than the outer ones and therefore, due to the higher spring forces, also have higher wheel loads than the outside (the wheel load difference is proportional to the spring travel difference or to the board inclination). This makes the driving experience more similar to snowboards and surfboards, since the inside edge of the curve is also more heavily loaded with increasing lateral acceleration.
• The relatively soft suspension with large suspension travel ensures that the unavoidable changes in wheel load are as small as possible in the event of uneven road surfaces, so that the cornering ability of the wheels, the balance of the driver and also driving comfort are only slightly impaired. Depending on the choice of tires (diameter, width, profile, air pressure) as well as the spring characteristics (spring travel, spring and damper rate) - with good controllability of the board - an almost unlimited use of the terrain is possible as long as the surface is stable.
• The suspension also opens up a wide range of options for influencing driving behavior and comfort properties individually, even retrospectively. For example, shorter springs can be used for lowering the body, harder springs for sport suspensions or softer springs for comfort suspensions. In addition to the lifting suspension, the steering properties and the self-steering behavior of the roller board can also be varied by changing the roll spring rate. (Usually, the front and rear axles of the skateboard are symmetrical to each other and also identical in terms of their suspension properties, so that they have a neutral self-steering behavior. In certain exceptional cases, however, it is advantageous if the roll spring rates in particular are different at the front and rear; Beach surfers, like in motor vehicles, are designed to understeer by a stronger front axle roll suspension in order to compensate for the tendency to oversteer that occurs at high speeds, which is usually expressed by the rear axle drifting away. The oversteer is a consequence of the shifting of the sail pressure point to the rear when the sail is tilted more backwards with increasing speed and the driver accordingly shifts his weight backwards). The damping properties of the springs also have a significant influence on the driving and comfort behavior, for which there is a wide range of tuning options, particularly with elastomer springs (including the shaped spring in Fig. 3-7). The damping primarily ensures that after the When cornering or after driving over uneven ground, the vehicle vibrations are reduced as quickly as possible. If the internal damping of the springs is not sufficient, separate shock absorbers, such as on the rear axle in FIG. 8, can also be used.

• Der Hauptvorteil gegenüber der Stammanmeldung ist der geringe Bauhöhenbedarf aufgrund der Substitution des realen (körperlichen) Längslenker-Kardangelenks durch ein virtuelles Gelenk, den Momentanpol M. Dieser kann durch geschickte Anordnung der Hilfslenker in nahezu jeder beliebigen Lage positioniert werden (i.a. allerdings unter Inkaufnahme eines höheren konstruktiven Aufwands wegen der größeren Anzahl an Gelenken). Je weniger Bauhöhe die Radaufhängung beansprucht, desto niedriger kann die Standfäche gelegt werden, und desto besser läßt sich das Fahrgefühl von Snowboards oder Surfbrettern nachbilden.
• Darüberhinaus kann - ebenfalls durch geschickte Anordnung der Hilfslenker - der Verlauf der Polbahn P des Momentanpols M derart ausgelegt werden, daß diese beim Einfedern eine andere Charakteristik aufweist als beim Ausfedern. Mit einer solchen asymmetrischen Polbahn läßt sich u.a. eine progressive Wank-Kinematik realisieren, mit der sich das Roll-brett während der Kurvenfahrt anhebt und anschließend durch das Fahrergewicht wieder in seine Geradeausstellung zurückgestellt wird (Gewichtsrückstellung). Hierdurch erübrigt sich der Einsatz von Federungselementen für die Lenkungsrückstellung - ein Vorteil, der auch gegenüber allen anderen bekannten Rollbrett-Radaufhängungen gilt. Die Gewichtsrückstellung ist für Rollbretter eine völlig neuartige und besonders effiziente (weil verlustfreie) Form der Lenkungsrückstellung, die sich vor allem bei der Fortbewegung eines Skateboards durch "Pumpen" (schnell aufeinanderfolgende Gewichtsverlagerungen des Fahrers) sehr positiv auswirkt.
• Die progressive Wank-Kinematik bzw. die Gewichtsrückstellung zieht einen weiteren Vorteil nach sich: Die Aufbauanhebung bei Kurvenfahrt entspricht hinsichtlich des Bewegungsablaufs in etwa dem "Aufkanten" eines Snowboards in der Kurve und vermittelt daher ein Snowboard- oder Surfbrettähnliches Fahrgefühl. In Verbindung mit der o.g. "Kurvenleger-Kinematik" der Verbundlenkerachse können damit sowohl enge Wechselkurven als auch langgezogene Bögen mit extremer Schräglage des Fahrers, also mit extrem hoher Querbeschleunigung, durchfahren werden.

In addition to these properties, the wheel suspensions of the present invention (based on the four-link chain) have further advantages over the conventional wheel suspensions, but also over the parent application:

• The main advantage compared to the parent registration is the low overall height requirement due to the substitution of the real (physical) trailing link universal joint by a virtual joint, the momentary pole M. This can be positioned in almost any position by cleverly arranging the auxiliary links (but generally at a higher price constructive effort because of the larger number of joints). The less height the wheel suspension takes up, the lower the footprint can be placed, and the better the driving experience of snowboards or surfboards can be simulated.
• In addition, the course of the pole path P of the instantaneous pole M can also be designed in such a way that it has a different characteristic when deflecting than when rebounding, likewise by skillful arrangement of the auxiliary links. With such an asymmetrical pole track, progressive roll kinematics can be implemented, with which the roller board lifts during cornering and is then returned to its straight-ahead position by the driver's weight (weight reset). This eliminates the need for suspension elements for steering reset - an advantage that also applies to all other known roller board wheel suspensions. The weight reset is a completely new and particularly efficient (because lossless) form of the steering reset for roller boards, which has a very positive effect especially when moving a skateboard by "pumping" (rapid successive shifting of the weight of the driver).
• The progressive roll kinematics and the weight reset have another advantage: The increase in body height when cornering corresponds approximately to the "edging" of a snowboard in the curve with regard to the movement sequence and therefore conveys a snowboard or surfboard-like driving experience. In conjunction with the above-mentioned "cornering kinematics" of the twist beam axle, it is possible to drive through tight alternating curves as well as elongated bends with the driver being extremely inclined, ie with extremely high lateral acceleration.

All the advantages listed can also be transferred to skid vehicles, if, as shown in Fig. 14 on the rear axle, swapped the wheels with runners become. In the additional application 196 02 mentioned at the end of section 3 447.1-15 describes in detail how advantageous the use of twist beam suspensions is also affects skid vehicles. Here is above all To emphasize "cornering behavior" of the twist beam axles, because in the curve the skids only develop their full cornering power when they are tilted can; this applies above all to hollow-ground runners, such as those e.g. of speed skaters or ice hockey players are preferred. This kinematic The advantage is not only evident on smooth ice, but also on less stable ones (but slippery) surfaces, such as snow or deep snow. Accordingly come here wider runners for use, e.g. in the form of skis, which are yes for transmission also be edged by side forces. With such wide runners the cornering ability can be increased even further by using them like race snowboards or carving skis can be fitted in the center and become behave like a snowboard or carving ski when edging: drive through this - without drifting sideways - the curves in their own edge track (the curve radius is determined by the waist and the inclination of the board), create a positive fit with the base and are therefore for the highest Suitable for lateral accelerations.

However, it is problematic to have this so-called carving behavior even with multi-runners Vehicles. because each runner wants to make its own turn. Although are the curve radii are the same on all runners (provided they are geometrically identical), but generally fall the curve centers are not together, resulting in a loss Cornering ability and leads to an indifferent driving behavior. The real one The center of the curve is determined by which skid is currently on is heavily burdened. This misconduct does not occur when the curve centers all runners coincide in one point; which is the case when the perpendicular intersect on the running direction of each runner at this point (common curve center). Then there is the so-called in automotive engineering "Ackermann" steering geometry.

The additional application 196 02 447.1-15 describes a constructive possibility how such an Ackermann geometry is realized with skid vehicles lets: In contrast to the wheels, which exercise a "free" rotation when rolling, The runners only perform a limited rotation when they are moving in and out Rebound in their bearings relative to the trailing arm. The skid axis of rotation therefore does not have to be at least approximately transverse-horizontal, like wheel rotation axes be arranged to the direction of travel, but can take any angle. This additional degree of freedom of the skid suspension compared to the Wheel suspension is used advantageously for generating an additional Steering effect used, which overlaps the steering angle of the torsion beam axis. When cornering, when the trailing arm on the inside of the curve and the outside on the curve rebound, both handlebars turn around their respective instantaneous poles and hit thereby a steering angle; at the same time the runners turn in opposite directions Handlebar rotation back to their horizontal position and thereby generate an additional one Steering angle, provided the skid axis is not parallel to the kinematic Cross bond lie. The skid axes of rotation should be set at an angle so that somewhat reinforced by the additional steering effect of the inside steering angle and the outside of the curve is withdrawn somewhat, so that in accordance with the longer way, which the outside of the curve covers the inner runners, the curve radii are corrected and intersect at the curve center.

Such a steering angle correction for realizing the Ackermann geometry works is also positive in principle for wheeled vehicles, but is due to the Tire-locked tires do not need to skew. The lateral force at Turning causes a so-called. Slip angle (difference between the kinematic steering angle and the actual Rolling direction of the tire), which is the deviations of the kinematic Compensates steering angle from the "ideal" (Ackermann) steering angle; i.e. the Ackermann geometry is automatically set here. Skid vehicles on the other hand - and here especially the ice surfers equipped with sharp, narrow and relatively long runners - on the other hand, are much more sensitive to incorrect toe-in angles; e.g. ice surfers cannot be started if (when driving straight ahead) the skids do not are somewhat parallel to each other. There is also the possibility here the runners have a certain degree of freedom due to elasticity or play in their suspension for self-correction, but this suffers considerably Driving stability. Therefore, only one that is precisely matched to the Ackermann geometry delivers Steering kinematics the prerequisite, the existing cornering potential to fully exploit.

These advantages, which are generally for skid vehicles with torsion beam suspension apply, are also supplemented here by the specific geometric and kinematic Advantages of the twist beam suspension based on the four-link chain; she apply to vehicles with and without suspension. So z. B. with the Suspension from Fig. 10/11, in which the suspension is dispensed with, an ice surfer Realize with an extremely low base board, with the maximum on flat ice Lateral accelerations can be driven. (The usual ice surfers are built a bit flatter, but have no steering mechanisms for a foot control; the runners are either screwed directly to the underside of the stand board or possibly with a (very hard) elastic bearing, to compensate for any non-parallelism of the runners. Such boards can can only be steered by rig control by moving the sail forward or backward is inclined. Because here the base board as well as the runners are inclined to There is almost no lateral acceleration possible to change the ice surface). Unless the ice is cleared after every snowfall, they are optimal Ice conditions - with a bare and flat ice surface - quite rare. Therefore recommends there is also the use of a suspension for ice surfers for universal applications, which costs a bit of height due to its travel requirements, but it does Even with bumpy or snow-covered ice for excellent driving characteristics provides.

The advantages mentioned come with both wheeled and skid vehicles partly still to be used when the torsion beam axles are not, like usual, but used in a mirror-inverted manner on both vehicle axles can be combined with any other axis construction. Particularly advantageous such combinations work with single-track scooter, bicycle or motorcycle front axles from which the driver is also with his vehicle tends into the curve ("curve layer"). Compared to previously known tricycle vehicles, which due to their rigid rear axle (camber and track relative to Lane always constant) also force the front wheel to stand up through the curve drive and thus allow no significant lateral accelerations, is here due to the inclined position of the vehicle, the cornering potential of the inside inclined wheels fully used. Since the rear wheels due to the inclined Steering the body into the curve, the front wheel must accordingly to be hit less, resulting in a very agile and a more varied Steering and driving behavior results. (There are also the other specific ones Advantages of the present invention over the parent application; et al less Height requirement of the four-link chain).

The same applies if the torsion beam axles according to the invention are used in the known Snake boards are used instead of their unguided rigid axles. Also there the typical snakeboard steering and locomotion (twisting both Legs to each other) due to the much more elegant snowboard curve technology (Body or hips with the base sloping inwards).

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1, 21, 41, 61, 81, 101 first auxiliary link

2, 22, 42, 62, 82, 102 second auxiliary link

3, 23, 43, 63, 83, 103 trailing arms

4, 24, 44, 64, 84, 104 construction

5, 25, 45, 65, 85, 105 first trailing arm joint

6, 26, 46, 66, 86, 106 second trailing arm joint

7, 27, 47, 67, 87, 107 first body-side joint

8, 28, 48, 68, 88, 108 second body-side joint

9, 29, 49, 69, 89, 109 connecting element or cross member

10, 30, 50, 70, 90, 110 wheel

11, 31, 51, 71, 91, 111 stand board

12, 32, 52, 92, 112 spring element

13, 53, 93, 113 spring element holder (handlebar side)

14, 34, 54, 94, 114 spring element holder (body side)

15, 35 shaft or tube

16, 36 plain bearings

17 foot straps

18 mast base

19 universal joint

20 surf rig

37 plain bearings

38 wave

39 lock screw

40 rail

55 valve

56 auxiliary handlebars

57 ball joint

58 swivel

59 swivel

60 universal joint

72 ball socket

73 sealing sleeve

74 wave

75, 77 distance tubes

76, 78 ball bearings

79 lock screw

80 wave

95 clamping device

96 holders

97 spacer tube

98 ball bearings

99 screw connections

100 tension spring

115 third auxiliary link

116 clamp

117 cuff

118 fastener

119 splash guard

120 runners

121, 131, 141 Twist-beam suspension

122, 132, 142 stand board

123, 133 single track wheel suspension

124, 134 wheel

125 pulley

126 V-belts

127 tension pulley

128 brake pedal lever

129 electric motor

130 battery

135 fork

136 swivel

137 handlebar

143 connecting handlebars

144 swivel

145 foot strap

Claims (22)

1. A wheel or skid suspension for a vehicle, especially a skateboard, steerable by weight displacement or by sloping the vehicle body, wherein the wheels or skids are preferably fastened to respective control arms via wheel bearings, wherein the control arms (3, 23, 43, 63, 83, 103) to which the wheels (10, 30, 50, 70, 90, 110) or skids (120) are rotatably fastened extend substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (so-called longitudinal control arms), characterised in that the longitudinal control arms (3, 23, 43, 63, 83, 103) are each gimbal-mounted on the body (4, 24, 44, 64, 84, 104) via at least two auxiliary control arms (1, 21, 41, 61, 81, 101) and (2, 22, 42, 62, 82, 102).
2. A wheel or skid suspension according to claim 1, characterised in that the auxiliary control arms (1, 21, 41, 61, 81, 101 and 2, 22, 42, 62, 82, 102) are each connected by joints (5, 25, ... 6, 26... respectively) to the longitudinal control arms (3, 23, 43, 63, 83, 103) at one end and via joints (7, 27, ... 8, 28... respectively) to the body (4, 24, 44, 64, 84, 104) at the other end.
3. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the joints (5, 25, ... 6, 26, ... 7, 27, ... 8, 28 ...) are swivel joints and/or universal or ball joints and/or other universally movable joints.
4. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 3, characterised in that at least one of the joints (5, 25, ... 6, 26, ... 7, 27, ... 8, 28 ...) is a sliding joint (46"', 48').
5. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the auxiliary control arms (1, 21, 41, 61, 81, 101 and 2, 22, 42, 62, 82, 102) each rotate around substantially transversely horizontal axes relative to the body (4, 24, 44, 64, 84, 104).
6. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 5, characterised in that one auxiliary arm (1, 21, 41, 61, 81, 101 or 2, 22, 42, 62, 82, 102) rotates around a substantially transversely horizontal axis and the other auxiliary control arm (56) rotates around an approximately vertical axis relative to the body (4, 24, 44, 64, 84, 104).
7. A wheel or skid suspension according to claim 6, characterised in that two opposite auxiliary control arms (for example 56) on an axle and rotating around an approximately vertical axis together form a component (transverse bearer 69, 89).
8. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the two longitudinal control arms (3, 23, 43, 63, 83, 103) on an axle are connected in torsion-free manner or with no torsion but resistant to bending via transversely horizontal connecting elements (9, 29, 49, 109) or transverse bearers (69, 89).
9. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the transversely horizontal connecting elements (9, 29, 49) are swivel or swivel and slide joints.
10. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the transversely horizontal connecting elements (9, 29, 49) are tube/shaft swivel or swivel and sliding joints, wherein a tube (15", 29, 49) concentrically surrounds a shaft (15', 25', 35").
11. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the transversely horizontal connecting elements (9, 29, 49) are tube/shaft swivel or swivel and sliding joints, wherein a tube (15", 29, 49) concentrically surrounds a shaft (15', 35', 35"), and a ball or sliding bearing (16, 36) is disposed between the tube and the shaft.
12. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the transversely horizontal connecting element (29) is a swivel or swivel and sliding joint and concentrically surrounds the swivel joint (26) of an auxiliary control arm.
13. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the transversely horizontal connecting element (109) is a torsionally yielding torsion-bar spring, non-rotatably connected at its ends to the two opposite longitudinal control arms (103', 103").
14. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 13, characterised in that one or more spring elements (12, 32, 52, 92, 112) engage the longitudinal control arms (3, 33, 53, 73) or connecting elements (29, 89, 109) and suspend them on the body.
15. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 14, characterised in that the spring elements (12, 32, 52, 92, 112) are made of suitable elastic materials such as spring steel, rubber or polyurethane foam and can have any suitable shape.
16. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 15, characterised in that shock-absorbing elements (55) engage the longitudinal control arms (3, 33, 53, 73) or connecting elements (29, 89, 109).
17. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 16, characterised in that the longitudinal control arms (3, 23, 43, 63, 83, 103) are provided with a splash guard (119) for the wheels (10, 30, 50, 70, 90, 110).
18. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 17, characterised in that the wheels (10, 30, 50, 70, 90, 110, 124, 134) can be slowed down by a suitable braking device (125', 126').
19. A wheel or skid suspension according to claims 1 to 18, characterised in that the wheels (10, 30, 50, 70, 90, 110, 124, 134) can be driven by a suitable drive device (129).
20. A vehicle, particularly a skateboard, steerable by displacement of weight or by sloping the body, with two wheel or skid suspensions according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the suspensions are identical but disposed in opposite directions on the body (1, 21, 41, 61).
21. A vehicle, particularly a skateboard, steerable by displacement of weight or by sloping the body, with a wheel or skid suspension according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the suspension is combined with a suitable single-track suspension on the other axle.
22. A vehicle, especially a skateboard, steerable by displacement of weight or by sloping the body, with a wheel or skid suspension according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the skateboard is divided into two segments (142', 142") pivotably connected to one another.

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